Pune: Surge in Cyber Criminals Posing as Army Personnel, Targeting Vulnerable Citizens
Pune, 27th June 2023: The city has witnessed a significant rise in cases involving cyber criminals impersonating Army personnel and defrauding unsuspecting citizens, particularly women and senior citizens. This alarming trend has prompted the police to issue a cautionary appeal, urging the public to remain vigilant against these deceptive tactics. The cyber police department has reported approximately 200 complaints related to scams perpetrated by these fake defence personnel.
According to the cyber police, the criminals establish connections with individuals by posting advertisements on various online marketing platforms and real estate websites, masquerading as army officers. They employ photo manipulation techniques to create fraudulent identification documents, including ID cards, badge numbers, battalion names, place of posting, and images of army uniforms, all designed to gain the trust of their victims.
In the most recent incident, a 69-year-old man fell victim to a fraudulent Army impersonator, resulting in a loss of Rs 1 lakh through online transactions. The case was registered at the Yerwada police station four days ago. The victim, Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Nagpur Chawl in Yerwada, recounted his ordeal, explaining that the fraudster had posed as an Army officer seeking to rent a room.
Singh stated, “I had uploaded photos of our house in Yerwada on multiple platforms for the purpose of renting a room. On June 22, I received a call from the fraudster, who identified himself as Manohar Singh, claiming to be an Indian Army officer. After gaining my trust, the scammer inquired about where to send the deposit money. He then suggested using GPay for the transaction, knowing that I was unfamiliar with online transactions.”
He continued, “The fraudster guided me through the process, during which I unknowingly transferred money to his account in six transactions of Rs 20,000 each and two transactions of Rs 19,000 each. It was only upon receiving SMS notifications from my bank regarding the debited amounts that I realized I had been swindled.”
Pune Cyber Police Station confirmed the escalating prevalence of cyber criminals impersonating army personnel in the city, cautioning that these fraudsters employ various methods to deceive citizens. Investigations are underway into several similar cases.
Modus Operandi
The police have observed that fraudsters exploit the public’s respect for the Army and their trust in its personnel’s integrity, perceiving it as a lucrative opportunity. They assume the identities of army personnel on various online platforms using fabricated army identity cards, including canteen cards, batch numbers, and designations. These imposters share counterfeit ID cards and photographs of themselves in army uniforms on social media platforms, subsequently pilfering funds from unsuspecting victims’ bank accounts.
Inspector Chandra Shekhar Sawant from the Cyber Police Station emphasized the importance of prompt reporting in enhancing the chances of recovering the stolen money. If victims approach the police or a nearby police station within 12 hours of the fraud, there is a higher likelihood of restitution. Conversely, delays of two to three days provide fraudsters ample opportunity to transfer the funds between accounts, making it more challenging to track and retrieve the money.
“This process is time-consuming. We must issue court orders and furnish the FIR copy to the relevant bank. Only after a comprehensive investigation and confirmation of the fraudulent nature of the transfer will the banks freeze the funds, a procedure that takes at least one to two months,” explained the officer.
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