Mumbai, April 25: In a case of mobile verification scam, a journalist has reported a sophisticated fraud operation that unfolded over a phone call. The scam, which lasted about an hour, was so convincing that the journalist, Saurav Das, initially believed it to be genuine. The fraudsters posed as officials of Mumbai police and threatened the journalist that his mobile number will be blocked.

The scammers initiated the operation with an automated voice call, claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The automated message warned that the victim’s number would be blocked within two hours and instructed to press 9 for more information. This led to the first scammer, who posed as a representative from the Telecom Division. He claimed that a complaint had been lodged against a number registered through the victim’s Aadhaar for illegal advertising and harassing texts.

Mobile Verification Scam

Allegedly, the Mumbai Police had sent a blocking request to TRAI. The scammer provided details of the supposed FIR and claimed to forward the call to the Andheri East police station. He asked the victim to request a “clarification letter” from the police to avoid the block, citing rampant identity theft in India. The second scammer posed as a Sub-Inspector from the Mumbai Police. He claimed that the victim’s statement would have to be recorded since they couldn’t be physically present in Mumbai.

Other Users Shared Similar Experiences 

A third scammer, dressed in a police uniform, then video-called the victim. He spoke fluent English, which raised the victim’s suspicion due to the lack of a Marathi accent. This scammer ordered his supposed Head Constable to “investigate” the case. The fourth scammer, posing as the Head Constable, attempted to record the victim’s “statement” and asked for the Aadhaar number. The victim, suspecting foul play, provided a false Aadhaar number. The scammer claimed that the victim was involved in a “65-crore money laundering case”.

The victim, realising the scam, ended the call by claiming a familial relationship with notorious gangster Dawood Ibrahim. The journalist urged the Mumbai Police and the cybercrime department of india to take note of this incident, as the scammers are impersonating them and their tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The victim expressed concern that older generations might fall for such scams. Reacting on Das’s post, other users also shared their experiences with such scammers.

This comes as a wave of ‘digital arrests’ and money-related scams over video calls swept the country, leading to people losing lakhs of their hard earned money.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2024 09:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).