Pune: Over Rs 3.35 Crore Lost in Online Scams in a Single Day, FIRs Registered

Pune, 17th October 2024: Trading in the stock market can yield significant profits, but cyber thieves are exploiting this opportunity to cheat individuals. Many victims are being targeted under the pretence of offering online job tasks, claiming that their Aadhaar card numbers have been used for money laundering and that their accounts need to be checked. This has particularly affected the middle class, driven by financial greed.

Yesterday alone, the Pune City Police Commissionerate registered nine cases of fraud totalling Rs 3.35 Crore, nearly all of which are online scams perpetrated by cybercriminals. For instance, if someone were to rob you of Rs 200 and your mobile phone while walking down the street, the police would register a case, and a Police Inspector would visit the scene. However, when you receive a phone call stating that drugs have been found in a parcel sent in your name and that a case has been registered against you, claiming to be from the CBI or Mumbai Police Crime Branch, victims are often defrauded of lakhs of rupees.

Alarmingly, these crimes often go unregistered for months. Recently, a 65-year-old senior citizen lost Rs 23 lakh and 53 thousand after being convinced to deposit an insurance fund by someone posing as a representative from the National Financial Reporting Authority.

Similarly, a young man was defrauded of Rs 34.69 Lakh by being promised high returns on stock market investments. Many scams are now emerging in the guise of stock market trading. Additionally, cyber thieves are targeting urban customers, warning them that they must pay their electricity bills in advance to avoid disconnection. In areas with piped gas supply, these criminals are also deceiving customers by insisting that they need to update their gas bills or risk losing their supply.

Fraud incidents are escalating daily in Pune, yet public awareness remains alarmingly low. Reporting such crimes can be time-consuming, and the police often struggle to track down criminals operating from foreign locations. Therefore, individuals must remain vigilant.