Mumbai: Fraudsters posing as Customs & RBI official’s duped 40-year-old doctor from Tata Hospital, Parel of Rs.8.13 lakh. In early May, the doctor received a friend request from a woman on social media which was accepted by the doctor. After accepting the request, the woman claimed that she was working with the American Army and stationed in Ukraine. On May 11, the woman informed the doctor that she was sending him a gift containing approximately 2,825 US dollars, which would arrive on May 13.
The police officer investigating the case said “Subsequently, he received a call from a woman posing as a customs official at Mumbai Airport, who asked him to deposit ₹37,500 to receive his parcel. Later, he was asked to pay ₹87,500 as a money laundering clearance charge. She then informed him that the parcel would be sent to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the US dollars to be converted into Indian currency and deposited into his bank account.” Following this, the doctor received an email from an address resembling the RBI’s, asking him to deposit ₹1.88 lakh as a currency exchange charge and an additional ₹5 lakh as a transfer cost.
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“They kept asking him to pay more, claiming each time it was the last charge, and that he had already paid so much that if he didn’t pay now, all his money would be lost. The woman, posing as a US Army officer, also assured him that the parcel contained a lot of money, which would solve his problems once received,” the police officer added. Finally, when the fraudsters demanded ₹10 lakh, the doctor realized he had been cheated and approached the police. The Bhoiwada police have registered a case based on the doctor’s complaint.
