In a disturbing case of cyber fraud, criminals impersonating officials of a fictitious 'national security authority' have cheated multiple individuals in Visakhapatnam, including an 80-year-old retired engineer, of a total exceeding Rs 12.5 lakh. The elaborate scam involved threats of arrest over alleged interactions with terrorists, preying on the victims' fear.
The Elaborate Scam: Threats and False Promises
The primary victim, an octogenarian and retired engineer residing in Vizag city, received a menacing phone call from individuals claiming to represent a national security authority. The callers informed him that a serious complaint had been registered against him for having alleged interactions with terrorist elements. Fearing immediate arrest and legal repercussions, the elderly man was coerced into compliance.
The fraudsters, posing as investigators, stated they were probing a case related to suspected terror links and demanded the victim's sensitive financial details for "further investigation." They cunningly assured him that the funds in his accounts needed to be audited by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and would be returned after verification. Promising to help him if he cooperated fully, they gained his trust before exploiting it.
Financial Drain and Realisation of Betrayal
Under severe threat, the victim divulged confidential information about his bank accounts and fixed deposits, cumulatively worth over Rs 11 lakh. The suspects then provided him with various bank account numbers. Believing their false assurances, the retired engineer proceeded to transfer his entire life savings, exhausting all his funds and fixed deposits, to the tune of Rs 11 lakh.
Even after this massive transfer, the fraudsters' greed was not satiated. They demanded an additional Rs 5 lakh as a "security deposit." It was only when the victim refused to pay this further amount and faced renewed threats that he finally realized he had been cheated. He subsequently approached the Cybercrimes Police Station in Vizag to file an official complaint.
A Wider Pattern of Fraud and Low Recovery Rates
This was not an isolated incident. The police confirmed that the same gang duped two other victims of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 60,000 respectively, using identical intimidation tactics. A senior police officer outlined that five major types of financial cybercrimes are prevalent in Vizag and across the state: digital arrest scams, investment frauds, loan app frauds, job frauds, and UPI frauds.
Authorities revealed a grim reality regarding such cases. The recovery rate of stolen property in financial cyber fraud remains extremely low. This is largely because these elaborate scams are often operated from high-security locations outside India, with many believed to be controlled by Chinese operators from Southeast Asia. Trafficked individuals, including youngsters from Andhra Pradesh, are reportedly forced to work in these cybercriminal hubs.
The Vizag case serves as a stark warning, especially for senior citizens, about sophisticated phone scams where criminals use fear and authority to enable theft. Police urge the public to never share personal or financial details over unsolicited calls and to verify any such claims directly with local law enforcement.
