KOCHI: The recent cyber fraud in which Bishop Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, a former metropolitan of the Niranam diocese of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, lost approximately Rs 15 lakh highlights the sophisticated traps set by scamsters who impersonate CBI, ED, or police officers.
Amid a rise in such cases in the state, police officers said that bank officials have colluded with the fraudsters in several instances to give them access to detailed information about victims’ accounts.
In a similar incident, a doctor lost around Rs 10 lakh when a person, posing as an ED official, contacted him with details of his bank account, claiming his funds were unaccounted for. The caller directed the doctor to transfer the money to another account supposedly monitored by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), promising that the case would be closed and the money returned if found innocent. However, after the transfer, the scamster disappeared. The victim suspected third-party involvement, particularly within the bank, as the caller had access to confidential account details.
According to Kochi City Police Commissioner S Shyam Sundar, three bank managers have been booked in connection with some of the cases reported in the city.
“Additionally, we have received information indicating the involvement of bank officials in several other cases currently under investigation. It appears that the bank authorities are leaking account details to scamsters,” he told TNIE.
Jiyas Jamal, a cyber security law expert and founder of the Kochi-based NGO Cyber Suraksha Foundation, also pointed to a high possibility of bank authorities leaking account details. “There are two primary possibilities: either private agencies responsible for the preparation of customer database for the bank are leaking details or bank authorities themselves are involved. If a scamster knows the exact account details and amount, it is almost certain that this information was obtained from the bank,” Jiyas said.
The Ernakulam Rural District Police have issued a warning after several persons fell prey to these cyber scams. Many of these fraudulent calls originate from numbers starting with +92, often generated through apps. Fraudsters typically use a display picture of someone in a police uniform to appear trustworthy.
Detailing the modus operandi, a police officer said these criminals aim to create intense pressure and fear to extort money. In one such case, an Aluva resident received a call from someone pretending to be a senior investigator, claiming that his daughter, who was pursuing an MBBS degree, was involved in a drug racket.
The caller, pretending to hand the phone over to his daughter, played a recording of a girl crying, accompanied by the sound of a wireless device to add authenticity. The scamster then told the man that legal proceedings had not yet started and that his daughter could be released if he paid a large sum of money. Overwhelmed and unable to think clearly or seek help, the man transferred the money, only to realise it was a scam when he contacted his daughter later.
Police officers pointed out that these criminals use various tactics to instill panic, like claiming that a bank account in the victim’s name has been used for illegal transactions, drugs have been seized in a parcel linked to the victim, or that anti-national activities have been carried out using a SIM card in the victim’s name.
The fraudsters might even stage a fake courtroom scene with judges or claim that the victim is under virtual arrest, demanding payment for the release. They often present fake documents to create fear and make the situation seem real, leading victims to deposit money into multiple accounts out of fear. Officers have also warned the public against falling prey to the tactics of ‘virtual arrest’ and ‘virtual courtroom’ applied by the fraudsters via video calls.
Ernakulam District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena said that no legal authority would ever ask for money to be deposited into accounts as part of a case or conduct arrests via video call. He urged the public to be extremely cautious when receiving such calls.
“The indebtedness of the affected persons and their families, to banks and other financial institutions, both public and private, must be assessed and reckoned to include them in the relief and rehabilitation package scheme and accordingly distributed to the lending institutions to wipe off the debts”, said K S Krishna, state president of All India Bank Employees Association.
Modus operandi
Fraudsters typically use a display picture of someone in a police uniform to appear trustworthy
Many of these fraudulent calls originate from numbers starting with +92