Bengaluru: Alert IT engineer avoids falling prey to 'FedEx' scam; here's how he prevented extortion attempt
Cybercriminals have devised a new modus operandi, using the name of the courier giant 'FedEx' to dupe unsuspecting victims. Here's what happened with an IT engineer and he saved himself from giving any money to the scamsters.
FollowThere seems no end to cyber crime and with each day, the scamsters are coming with different ways to dupe people. A new scam, FedEx scam, has been in the news and it has targeted many including lawyer, doctors and now IT engineers. A Bengaluru-based man, working in a leading IT firm, was the latest target of this scam.
According to the FIR filed, the man received an automated call from the FedEx of a parcel being returned. "The call stated press 2 if you wish to talk to the agent. Then the agent informed that a parcel from Mumbai to Taiwan that had 140 gram drugs, 5 passports, 3 credit card, one laptop and some other items as well," it added.
When the engineer said he had nothing to do with the parcel, he was asked if he wanted to reach out to the cybercrime team in Mumbai to register a complaint of identity theft. The person on the other end asked the Bengaluru man to download Skype and begin a call on the popular video-calling app.
As the case involved drugs, the Crime Branch 'officer' asked the man to come on the Skype call to record the statement. The FIR further stated, "As soon as, I joined skype call, a man wearing police uniform was seen. In the name of the interrogation, Crime Branch 'officer' named Vikram Singh asked personal information like bank accounts and family details, and for Aadhaar card and photos."
The IT engineer further said, "The so-called officer checked with higher authorities and told me that my Aadhaar card is on high alert for money laundering and various illegal activities."
However, when the 'officer' asked to share bank statements for further interrogation, the IT engineer finally felt something was not right. Hence, he did not gave in the demands of the scamsters posing as Crime Branch 'officer'. "When I asked him for his ID details and FIR number, Singh got angry and started abusing me. Then, I realised it was a scam," he concluded.
Here are some tips to stay safe from these scams?
1. Never trust a person on a call as they may be posing like an officer.
2. Hang up and call the company they claim to be from to check if it is a scam.
3. Don't forget to ask officer's details and FIR details as that's when the scamsters get agitated.
4. Never share any personal details, like Aadhaar card, OTP or any other information.
5. Please, do file an FIR with all the details as it may help the police to arrest the scamsters.
