The caller requested the lawyer to deposit a cheque of Rs 80 lakh from her checking account into an account he talked about. (Representative picture)
A gaggle of fraudsters tried to dupe a Mumbai-based girl lawyer to the tune of Rs 80 lakh
Fraudsters, pretending to be from a famend logistics firm and regulation enforcement, tried to swindle a Mumbai-based feminine lawyer out of Rs 80 lakh. However, her vigilance prevented any monetary loss.
According to the police, the fraudsters contacted the 30-12 months-outdated lawyer on Monday, informing her that the package deal she tried to ship to Iran contained artificial drug LSD, information company PTI reported.
Modus operandi of the rip-off
“They told her that they were from a prominent logistics company and they had discovered the incriminating material in the parcel. They said there was an FIR against her and sought her Aadhaar and PAN card details to shut the case,” a police official advised the company.
They later pretended to switch the cellphone to an individual, who claimed to be a senior police official investigating the case, he stated.
“In order to get out of the trouble, the caller asked the lawyer to deposit a cheque of Rs 80 lakh from her bank account into an account he mentioned,” he stated.
To make it look genuine, they despatched an settlement copy to her. Under stress, the lawyer even shared her checking account particulars with the fraudsters. However, she obtained sceptical and determined to complain to the police about it, the official stated.
She then approached the Bandra police station and reported the matter on Monday. A case was then registered towards the accused individuals and a probe was launched.
Awareness is essential
The Ministry of Finance in August final 12 months alerted individuals about scams being reported within the identify of Indian Customs. It has urged to not fall prey to fraudulent calls, emails, messages and social media posts claiming to be from Indian Customs and demanding cost of customs responsibility in private financial institution accounts.
The ministry then acknowledged that Indian Customs by no means calls or ship SMS for paying Customs Duty in a private checking account. All communications from Indian Customs comprise a Document Identification Number (DIN) which may be verified on-line on the CBIC web site.
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs is part of the Department of Revenue below the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
(With PTI inputs)