An educated businessman frantically called his journalist friend saying that I just received a call from a courier company saying that drugs have been found in a package you sent by courier to Africa. So the crime branch has registered a case against you. You will get a call from crime branch officer, talk to them. We are trying not to register this case. Everything else is now in your hands. The journalist friend first scolded the businessman and then said 'You are such an educated man but you have no sense that such cases happen everyday and why did you make a fool of yourself to receive a call from an unknown number?' The businessman said that 'I received a call from that number four or five times, so I thought it would be an important call, so I received the call again.' A journalist friend said, 'Block that number and don't make this mistake again.' If that businessman had not called a journalist friend, he would have landed in a hole of a few lakhs or a few million or a few crore rupees! *** On September 16, 2024, an audio message came on the mobile phone of a railway official in Mumbai warning: 'Your mobile phone will be blocked in two hours. If you want to ask any question, you have to dial zero number.' Fearing that the mobile phone would be switched off, the railway official pressed the zero number, the video call was activated and a man came to the opposite end. He said: 'I am a CBI officer. A money laundering case has to be investigated against you. A mobile phone number linked to your bank account has been used in a money laundering scam.' The railway official got scared. He said: 'I am not involved in any such scam and I don't have any other mobile phone number.' Gathia, who spoke to him on a video call posing as a CBI officer, said: 'The phone is registered in your name. and is linked to an account used for a money laundering scam.' The officer was in his office at the time, but Pella Gathia ordered him to go to his house, saying: 'Other CBI officers will question you.' That Gathia made a video call again at 2 pm. In the meantime, Gathia and his gang had obtained many details of the officer, including his financial, family and property. He said: 'Tomorrow you will be tried in court and the judge will judge. You have to appear in court online.' The next morning at half past nine, the railway official received a video call saying: 'You are being produced in court.' At that time, another block came on the screen as a judge. The fake judge told the railway official: 'Several illegal transactions have taken place from your bank account so give all your bank details.' He then ordered the officer to deposit Rs nine lakh in a bank account. The railway official went to the bank and transferred nine lakh rupees from RTGS to the account given by the cyber gang operatives. However, after depositing the money, he became suspicious and requested the bank manager to stop the transaction, but in the meantime, Gathia withdrew the entire amount. He was trapped by making video calls to a railway official for twenty hours continuously and working as Principal Chief Electrical Engineer (Construction) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal, living in Colaba area of South Mumbai. *** So many incidents keep happening and in most cases they lose lakhs or millions or crores of rupees. Shilpa Desai, a well-known lifestyle doctor and counselor in Mumbai, says: 'Most of these cases are due to people's fear or their greed. Cybercriminals understand the mindset of people very well. That is why they make people their prey by using lures and fearsome weapons. Some of the individuals targeted by cyber gangs are tempted to have sex with a beautiful girl, sometimes to get a job or even to get a job. On the other hand, many people are willing to give money due to the fear of going to jail or being ostracized in society.' Dr Desai says: 'In many such cases both greed and fear are responsible. Many men fall into the trap of cybercriminals due to the lure of hooking up with a beautiful girl and then they accept their terms out of fear.' Such incidents keep happening. Let's finish the article with one such case. A businessman from Mumbai came in contact with a beautiful girl through a dating app. The businessman became 'close friends' with the girl after meeting her on an online dating app and the two chatted continuously on WhatsApp from March 2024 to July 2024 and later met in person. After that, the girl borrowed 35 lakh rupees from the businessman for some time due to various reasons. However, when the businessman asked for the money back, the girl refused to give the money. And if I threaten him from above, I will file a case of rape against you if I fight more! Then that 'poor', 'naive', 53-year-old businessman came to know that he had been cheated of Rs 35 lakhs!
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).