CHENNAI: Much like the phrase ‘digging his own grave’, the data we share online in many different websites is how the fraudsters are able to cheat us, say police. With the recent arrest of two people running a fake call centre, the Cyber Crime Cell is set to investigate leaks of data from several online portals which store details of people. Police have asked the public to be vigilant about fraudulent calls and to not share sensitive details online, unless necessary.
The cyber crime division of the Adyar police district on Tuesday arrested two people – A Shanmugapriya (24) of Nanganallur and R Premnath (30) of Sevvapet – for allegedly running a call centre ‘HP Global Service Banking and Non-Banking’. “The fraudsters when contacting the victims, mention their names and personal details, to quickly gain the trust of people. People then share more of their details and in many cases end up transferring money,” said V Vikraman, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Adyar district, while adding that they have busted five fake call centres in less than six months.
Shanmugapriya and Premnath were arrested based on a complaint from P Purushothaman (22) of Velachery. Purushothaman was contacted by the accused on March 4, promising loan without collateral. “After convincing the victim that they are reliable and representatives of a popular bank, the caller made the complainant pay Rs 7,000 online as ‘insurance for the loan amount.’ Again he was made to pay Rs 3,000 as ‘GST charges.’ When the caller asked him to pay Rs 3,000 to enhance CIBIL score, the victim grew suspicious and lodged a complaint,” said the police officer.
Since insurance is mandatory for loan products, fradsters use this to con people. “When suspicious victims demand their money back, the fraudsters either switch off their mobile phones or change their SIM cards. No bank will offer loans over phones and the public must understand that instant loan offers are a trick. Since the lockdown, the number of people falling prey to this fraud has increased,” said Vikraman.
While busting fake call centres, police found that data of individuals from various online portals are being sold to fraudsters. The police officer said that companies like JustDial, Quikr and Olx, which collect contact numbers of persons, often become the source of the victim list for fraudsters. “There has been a data leak at major online portals and the data is being sold on dark sites. Agencies that sell data charge Rs 5,000 for details of 100 people, which the fraudsters purchase and contact the people,” said the DCP.
Similarly, another police officer said companies that require our bank details, like job consultancies and freelancing websites also have faced data leaks and that is being investigated. When asked about SIM cards used by fraudsters, police said that when a victim gets suspicious, they block his number. Later, if they feel the mobile number is useless, they throw out the SIM card.
“With the details shared by victims on WhatsApp like Aadhaar card and photos, the fraudsters apply for new SIM cards and this does not raise suspicion,” said a senior police officer. Police are investigating leaks in websites and have also been trying to put in place restrictions for SIM card distributors. Police said that the accused Shanmugapriya and Premnath had earlier worked in a call centre in the city, and a year ago started their own venture to con people.