Fake court scam costs Hyderabad scientist 13.4M

Hyderabad: In an awful incident of cyber fraud, a retired scientist from Hyderabad became a victim of a fake court scam, compromising 13.4 million to cyber criminals.

The cyber criminals pretended as Supreme Court authorities, including a fake judge, and pressured the retired scientist into transferring the amount under pretenses of legal proceedings.

The victim, a 73-year-old retired chief scientist from the Central Research Institute, got a call on May 31, introducing themselves from the Department of Telecommunications.

The caller incorrectly mentioned to him that a case had been filed against him at the Ashokanagar Police Station in Bengaluru.

Soon after, another cybercriminal, acting as Police Officer Sandeep Rao, gave an allegation that the victim’s Aadhar Card had been used by a criminal involved in human trafficking across Cambodia, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

The victim was then contacted by a person mimicking CBI Officer Akash Kulari, who mentioned a pending arrest unless he provided his bank transaction details to be verified.

The cybercriminals asked him to appear before a Supreme Court judge via video conference, even postulating that he must wear a white shirt during the hearing.

During the WhatsApp video call, the criminals created a fake courtroom scenario, complete with the attire of a judge and background images of a court.

Read More: Global cyber crime network busted in Multan operation

They presented fictitious documents and persuaded the scientist that he needed to deposit funds to be verified, promising a refund after the investigation.

Over two days, the victim transferred a total of 13.4 million across three transactions to the fraudsters’ accounts.

Following the receipt of these funds, the cyber criminals ended the video call, and subsequent attempts by the victim to reach out went unanswered.

Upon recognising the fake court scam and the cyber fraud, the victim reported the incident to the Rachakonda Cyber Crime Police, who have since registered a case and initiated an investigation.

Authorities are advising the public to remain vigilant against scams involving fake court summons and digital arrest schemes.

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