A 28-year-old woman from Thane was cheated out of Rs 15.7 lakh in a sophisticated parcel delivery scam, police said on Tuesday. The fraudsters, impersonating courier company and police officials, contacted the victim and claimed that a parcel addressed to her contained illegal items, including drugs and passports.
Modus Operandi of the Scam
The victim, a resident of the Wagle Estate area, received a call on August 20 from a person posing as a courier company representative. The caller informed her that a parcel sent from Mumbai to Taiwan in her name had been intercepted and contained contraband. The call was then transferred to another individual who claimed to be a police officer from the crime branch. The fake officer threatened the woman with legal action and arrest if she did not cooperate. To avoid arrest, the victim was instructed to transfer money to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters for verification purposes.
Financial Loss and Investigation
Over the next few days, the woman transferred a total of Rs 15.7 lakh in several installments. It was only when the fraudsters demanded more money that she realized she had been cheated and filed a complaint with the Thane cyber police. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. Police are investigating the money trail and have alerted banks to freeze the accounts involved.
The Thane cyber police have urged citizens to be cautious of such scams, emphasizing that no legitimate government agency asks for money transfers over the phone. They advised not to share personal or financial details with unknown callers and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
