Bizman loses Rs 1.98 crore to FedEx scamsters who 'virtually' confine him, his wife in hotel

Bengaluru: A 52-year-old businessman in southeastern Bengaluru lost Rs 1.98 crore to scamsters who claimed that the Mumbai police confiscated a FedEx courier in his name containing drugs. Interestingly, the scamsters made the victim and his wife stay in separate hotel rooms for two days while they were online on Skype video call with them as a “part of the interrogation”.

The victim, Chetan Sharma (name changed to protect identity), received a call on December 2 from a FedEx courier personnel who alleged that a package in his name to Taiwan contained methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic drug banned in India.

The call was then transferred to the "cybercrime branch of the Mumbai police", where an “officer” allegedly told Sharma on a Skype video call that there was a money laundering case where his name had popped up. The suspect allegedly asked Sharma to transfer the money from his bank account to their "stipulated account" to verify the allegations.

In the meantime, worrying that Sharma hadn’t returned home in the evening, his wife arrived at his office. “The scamsters asked Sharma who the lady was and when they were told that she was his wife, the two were asked to go to a hotel as both had to be interrogated,” a senior officer told DH. “They were in separate hotel rooms for two days while being online on Skype. Sharma sent the scamsters Rs 1.98 crore before he came to know about the con.”

As a word of caution to citizens, C K Baba, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), urged people to immediately disconnect the call and alert the local police. “The real cyber crime police will never call you on Skype or phone to make such accusations of money laundering,” Baba told DH. “If there are allegations, a notice will be served and you will be summoned or picked up. An interrogation will never be held on Skype or video call.”

A case was registered at the Southeast Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) police station on December 7 under the IT Act and the IPC.