A 44-year-old woman from the United Kingdom was scammed while on vacation in Hyderabad. She lost Rs 13.29 lakh after being tricked by people pretending to be officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Delhi Police.
The woman, who works in the private sector and was temporarily staying in Hyderabad, got a call from someone claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The caller said her phone number was being used to send offensive messages and illegal ads.
When she denied doing anything wrong, the caller connected her to someone else, claiming to be a cybercrime officer from the Delhi Police. This person spoke to her through a WhatsApp video call.
During the call, the scammer told her that her Aadhaar number had been used to open a bank account at HDFC Bank. They said the account was involved in serious crimes like money laundering and human trafficking. The caller warned her that she might be arrested unless she followed their instructions.
Later, she received another video call from someone pretending to be a CBI officer. He asked her to show her Aadhaar card and not tell anyone about the call. To make the scam look real, he sent her a fake CBI letter and threatened her with legal action.
Scared and under pressure, the woman transferred money to several bank accounts as instructed. The scammers told her that the money was needed for verification and that she would get documents proving she was not involved in any crimes.
In total, she sent Rs 13,29,999. After the money was sent, the scammers stopped contacting her. She tried to reach them again on WhatsApp and by phone, but the numbers were either switched off or inactive.
The woman filed an online complaint. The Hyderabad cybercrime police have now registered a case and started an investigation to find out who was behind the fraud.
