Cyber Fraudster’s Sneaky Ploy Costs Elderly Victim

In Mumbai, a septuagenarian, aged 63, fell victim to a financial swindle orchestrated by an anonymous cyber perpetrator who, assuming the guise of his son’s acquaintance, engaged him in a telephonic conversation, deftly imitating his son’s vocal timbre, law enforcement officials disclosed on Tuesday.

The fraudulent activity unfolded on the second day of March, albeit the official complaint was lodged the following Monday afternoon, within the precincts of the Bhandup police station located in the eastern fringes of the city. According to a police spokesperson, the aggrieved party, a patriarch with two daughters and a son domiciled overseas, divulged the details.

On the fateful day of March 2, the victim received an incoming voice call via the messaging application WhatsApp from an obscure number, wherein the caller introduced himself as Vikas Gupta, an acquaintance of his son dwelling in the Canadian territories.

Given the lifelong acquaintance with Vikas Gupta and the striking vocal resemblance exhibited by the caller to Gupta, the victim placed unwavering trust in the veracity of the interaction. Subsequently, the caller, feigning distress, solicited monetary assistance, citing urgent need.

In a gesture of goodwill, the victim initiated a transfer of Rs 2 lakh to the designated account provided by the caller, additionally beseeching two acquaintances to contribute Rs 50,000 each. However, upon reiterated solicitations for further monetary assistance, the victim’s intuition was pricked by a sense of suspicion, prompting him to initiate a video call to the purported Gupta, albeit to no avail, as per the police spokesperson.

Subsequent investigations revealed that no such communication had been initiated by Gupta. On the subsequent day, i.e., March 3, an online complaint was filed by the aggrieved party, albeit due to ailing health, physical presence at the police precinct was deferred. The formal registration of the case ensued the following Monday, with ongoing efforts toward deeper investigation, as elucidated by the official.