Cop Impersonator Swindles Senior Citizen Out of ₹4 Crore
TLDR: A 68-year-old from Kharghar lost ₹4 Crore to a cyber fraudster posing as a police officer. Honestly, who even has that kind of money just lying around?
Kharghar resident Mr. Sharma (name changed to protect his rapidly dwindling assets) received a call last Tuesday from a person claiming to be a Cyber Crime Unit officer. The fake cop informed Sharma that his bank accounts were compromised and needed "securing."
Sound familiar? It should. This scam is older than Vashi bridge.
The con artist, oozing with official-sounding jargon, convinced Sharma to transfer funds to various accounts over three days. ₹4 Crore vanished into the digital ether before Sharma realized he'd been fleeced. That's enough to buy, like, ten apartments in Panvel.
The Kharghar police station has registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC and the Information Technology Act. Yeah, good luck finding that money. The investigation is ongoing, but honestly, chances of recovery are slimmer than finding parking at Seawoods Grand Central during peak hours.
This isn't the first time Navi Mumbai residents have been targeted by cyber crooks. Remember that phishing scam last month that targeted Nerul residents? Clearly, scammers find Navi Mumbai's senior citizens a lucrative, if ethically questionable, market. Time to educate your parents, people. And maybe hide their chequebooks.