NEW DELHI: If you get a phone call from Pakistan claiming you have won a lottery worth lakhs of rupees, beware!
Economic intelligence agencies have discovered a racket wherein the con men use Pakistani cell phone numbers to make calls to people in India, especially those in bordering areas of Rajasthan, informing them about having won a lottery, official sources said.
The callers tell the gullible people they have won a lottery of Rs five to Rs ten lakh and persuade them to deposit Rs 5,000-25,000 as tax to encash the amount, they said.
The money, which has to be deposited in a particular bank, would then be withdrawn by these racketeers, the sources said.
The racket, which began from Rajasthan is no longer limited to the state and such calls are being made to people elsewhere too.
The economic intelligence agencies have launched a probe in coordination with law enforcement agencies.
The con men have made off with lakhs of rupees through this modus-operandi, sources said, adding the role of the bank in facilitating the fraud is also being investigated.
Officials have also launched an awareness drive in the border areas of Rajasthan to prevent such incidents.
"This is one of the latest trends of economic offences being noticed quiet often. All member agencies have been informed to trace and share any input in this regard," a senior official of the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) official said.