Fake Interrogation, Deepfake And Skype Call: Here’s How Noida Woman Lost Over Rs 11 Lakh To Cybercriminals

A woman lost over Rs 11 lakh to cyber criminals who called her impersonating CBI and Mumbai Police officers.

New Delhi: It all began with a call that 50-year-old Sheeja TA, a development manager at a corporate firm, received at 9:30 am from an unknown caller. The caller informed her that her phone number was allegedly being used in a high-profile money laundering case, and as a result, she would need to participate in a probe through Skype. The investigation lasted for nine hours, during which she was compelled to remain seated without permission to contact anyone else. By the end of the day, the middle-aged woman had lost over Rs 11 lakh in an attempt to have her name removed from the case.

Woman Filed A Complaint

After knowing that she was being duped, the victim woman filed a complaint in the matter on November 21. Polie stated that this is the first case of its kind in Gautam Buddha Nagar in which scamsters sets up fake, remote police probe to dupe victims. The victim in her statement mentioned that the scamsters used deepfake of senior officials to con her.

“At 9.30 am, I first received a call saying that I have another SIM card in my name, which was used for a fraud in Mumbai with the help of my Aadhaar card. They said that an FIR has been registered against me and that the other number was being used in fraud advertising and harassment of women,” said Sheeja in her complaint.

The Money Laundering Case

The victim further stated that after the fake interrogation her call was transferred to  someone who claimed to be an IPS officer associated with the Mumbai Police who during a video conferencing on Skype told her that she has another allegation against her, this time related to a high-profile money laundering case.

“(I was told) that FIR has been registered on me and arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court, for which he sent the documents over Skype. After the interrogation, he said that I am innocent and not guilty…” she said.

Fake officials told the victim that during a raid at a high-profile industrialist’s house, officials had recovered 246 debit cards one of which was on her name.

“He said my account was used for fund transfer of Rs 2 crore for which I have been paid Rs 20 lakh. However, he said that I do not seem to be involved in the case, so to complete the investigation, I need to transfer funds from all my accounts to my ICICI account and subsequently, transfer the fund from ICICI account to (another) account as per the directives of Supreme Court auditors requirements. They also stated that the information concerns national security and will make me liable for further action if this is disclosed to anyone,” said the complainant.

According to the woman, the callers assured her that they could lift the arrest warrant against her if she applied for a personal loan of Rs 20 lakh “to maintain a minimum balance in the account and prove her innocence.” When she refused, they allegedly threatened her into securing a bank loan of Rs 3 lakh. In total, including the amount she had already transferred and the additional loan, the woman lost Rs 11.11 lakh.

“They said the fund will be reversed to my account within three days as the auditor will close the investigation. But it did not happen. I am already under much liability of home loan and the above personal loan along with other medical issues and I am the only earner in my family with no other financial support than my monthly salary,” she added.

FIR Registered

Police have registered an FIR under IPC sections 419 and 420 and section 66D of Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008 and an investigation into the matter has been started.

The victim, originally from Kerala, stated that the scammers possessed her Aadhaar card and other personal details, creating an impression of their authenticity. She mentioned being confined to her chair for approximately 9 hours, from 9:30 am to 6 pm, during which she was prohibited from communicating with anyone.

Regarding her assertions that the scammers utilized deepfake videos featuring senior police officials to deceive her, SHO Yadav stated that the police are investigating whether it involves a case of deepfake or impersonation.