KOCHI: Cyber fraudsters are targeting gullible customers under the guise of not only bank officials but also insurance company officers.In one such fraud that was reported to the police, a Thottakattukara native lost Rs 1 lakh recently. The 67-year-old was approached by a woman named Radhika Jain, claiming to be from an insurance company, promising to make a payment settlement in the policy held by the former. The elderly person was asked to renew the policy by paying Rs 1 lakh.
Following a complaint, Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. It was on October 29 that the complainant received a call from the fraudster claiming to be an officer of ICICI Prudential Insurance. The caller informed the complainant that his insurance policy has expired and a settlement cannot be made for disbursing the insurance amount.
“As a solution, the caller suggested the elderly person renew the insurance policy paying Rs 1 lakh. If the amount is paid, the policy holder will be considered as a senior citizen, it was informed. For taking the complainant into confidence, a settlement offer with a letterhead of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance was sent to him through WhatsApp,” a police officer said.
The caller promised the complainant that the settlement of Rs 2.45 lakh will be done within 45 days after renewing the policy by paying the amount. “The elderly person transferred the money to the caller’s Canara Bank account. Some fake documents were sent to the customer after the payment was made. However, even after 45 days, the promised settlement was not made. Though attempts were made to contact the caller, it turned futile,” a police officer said.
After checking the details of bank transactions, police found that the accused was based in Aligarh. Police are also probing how the accused got information about the insurance policies of the victim. “In insurance frauds, mostly senior citizens are cheated as insurance procedures for them are complex. The fraudsters regularly contact senior citizens claiming that their existing insurance has expired and pending settlements could not be paid. Policy holders should always contact insurance company authorities or authorised agents before giving money after receiving such calls,” a police officer said.
Another cyber fraud
A Chittattukara native woman lost Rs 1.27 lakh in virtual shopping after she was duped by a person claiming that his company was a partner of Flipkart, Amazon, Indiamart, Snapdeal, and Paymall. The fraudster convinced the victim that he has been deputed by the online trading companies to increase their sales volume. When virtually-bought goods are sold online to other customers, the seller will receive a payment for virtual shopping along with a commission. Police have registered over 10 cases in the past few months after many lost money in similar manner.