A 32-year-old employee of a firm in Nandikur in the Udupi district lost over ₹15 lakh to a fraudster who spoke to him over phone claiming to be an officer from Mumbai Cyber Crime branch.
In the complaint to Padubidri police, Tiago, a native of Tamil Nadu and resident of Nadsalu village in Kapu taluk of Udupi, said he received a call on Wednesday at 10.40 a.m. from 917716341788 and the caller claimed himself as representative of FedEx courier. The caller said the courier sent by Tiago from Mumbai had not been delivered to Iran.
When Tiago said he had not sent any courier to Iran, the caller then mentioned the parcel tracking ID and said it contained five SBI credit cards, four clothes, 2 kg of toys, and 450 grams of narcotic drug. The caller told Tiago that his identity documents had been leaked and were now linked to an illegal narcotic trade transaction. A minute later, Tiago received a call from a person who claimed to be an officer of the Mumbai Cyber Crime branch. By stating that he wanted to check the bank account, the caller made Tiago open the iMobile pay app and then open a pre-approved personal loan application. The caller made Tiago apply for a personal loan of ₹ 15.62 lakh. The caller then made Tiago to transfer through RTGS the amount to an account given by him..
The Padubidri police registered Tiago’s complaint for offences under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code and under Sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of Information Technology Act.
FedEx issues statement
FedEx stated that the company does not request personal information through unsolicited phone calls, mail, or email for goods being shipped or held, unless requested or initiated by customers.
Responding to the story on a Udupi resident losing over ₹15 lakh to a fraudster posing as a FedEx personnel, the company issued a statement on January 19. The company stated that if any individual receives any suspicious phone call or message, they are advised not to provide their personal information. Instead, people should immediately contact the local law enforcement authorities or report the same to the National Cyber Crime portal.
