Fraudster poses as Navi Mumbai cyber cell, dupes banks into freezing accounts

The deception came to light after a concerned bank contacted the actual cyber cell for verification upon receiving a suspicious email. (Representational Pic)

A case has been registered against an unidentified individual who allegedly created a fake email ID impersonating the Navi Mumbai Police Cyber Cell in order to issue fraudulent instructions to banks, directing them to freeze select customer accounts, according to PTI.

The deception came to light after a concerned bank contacted the actual cyber cell for verification upon receiving a suspicious email. The query raised red flags, and upon examination, officials confirmed that the email in question was not sent by any authorised personnel from the cyber division. Instead, it originated from a bogus email address that closely mimicked the official one used by Navi Mumbai's cyber authorities.

According to a senior official, the accused had meticulously crafted the counterfeit email ID to appear authentic. The fraudster then proceeded to contact multiple banking institutions with misleading instructions, claiming to represent the cyber police and requesting the immediate freezing of certain customer accounts. These accounts were falsely labelled as being under investigation, thus misleading bank officials into potentially unlawful actions based on fabricated claims.

The Navi Mumbai Police have now launched a formal investigation and registered a First Information Report (FIR) under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Specifically, charges include Section 318(1) for cheating and Section 336 for forgery, among other legal provisions that address cybercrime and digital impersonation.

Andheri man duped of Rs 36.47 lakh in stock market cyber scam

A 42-year-old man from Andheri lost Rs 36.47 lakh, his entire savings, to a stock market cyber fraud after being added to a Facebook group named ‘Close Companions' on February 10. The victim said he was scrolling through the social media app when he came across a page, which led him to the group. He was later contacted by a woman claiming to be from the securities division of the bank, who offered stock market investment advice. Trusting her guidance, the man fell prey to the scam.

According to the FIR, the woman who had contacted the complainant identified herself as Riya Bansal. She claimed to be from the bank's securities section and offered to guide the complainant in stock market investments. After initiating contact, the woman added the victim to another group named ‘... High-End Customer Segment'.

"There were many people in the group sharing screenshots of the profits they were making by investing in the stock market. Seeing their success, I decided to invest as well," the victim stated in his complaint to the police. The victim was then instructed via the WhatsApp group to download an app called HSSSPMA. "As I started believing them, I invested R36.47 lakh between March 13 and April 7 this year," the victim stated in the FIR.

The complainant told the cyber cell that he when to his local bank branch to transfer Rs 15 lakh to the scamsters via RTGS, he learnt that the bank account was suspicious. He then visited the bank to enquire about the investment, only to learn that no such person worked there.

Realising he had been duped, he filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal the same day. "A case has been registered and the investigation is underway," an officer of the cyber cell said. The bank did not respond to mid-day's email by press time.

According to official data from the Mumbai police, 225 cases of stock market fraud were reported between January and March this year. So far, only 13 cases have been detected, resulting in the arrest of eight accused. The masterminds behind these scams are believed to be operating from abroad, primarily Dubai.

(With inputs from PTI)