Top scams going around in Visakhapatnam, according to the Vizag City Police

Visakhapatnam has seen a surge in various scams this year, with cyber fraudsters devising new ways to cheat the public out of their money. In a recent warning issued against cybercrime in a report by The Hindu, the Vizag City Police expressed that the police have dealt with around 100 cases, resulting in a collective loss of over Rs 20 crore. These scams involve impersonations of courier agents, TRAI officials, and bank representatives, among others Here are the different types of scams you need to be aware of, according to an advisory from the Vizag Police:

1. Bank Employee Impersonation

Fraudsters pose as bank employees from the credit card section and call unsuspecting victims, claiming an outstanding amount is due on their credit card. If the victim denies having a credit card or asserts that the bill is already paid, the fraudsters transfer the call to another scammer. This second fraudster verifies the victim’s mobile and Aadhaar numbers, alleging that someone in Mumbai is using a credit card in the victim’s name for illegal transactions, frightening the victim into compliance.

2. Medical Lab Scam

In this scam, fraudsters pretend to be Army representatives and inform medical labs that they will be conducting medical tests for 30 to 50 personnel. They establish trust through a video call and then request money from the lab owners, exploiting their goodwill and willingness to help.

3. TRAI Official Impersonation

Scammers impersonate representatives from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), claiming that a phone number registered under the victim’s Aadhaar number has been used to make calls to terrorist groups in Mumbai or Chennai. Once they gain the victim’s trust, they demand money to resolve the issue, playing on the victim’s fear of being implicated in criminal activities.

4. Courier Scams

Fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials, calling victims to claim that a parcel booked in their name contains unauthorized materials such as fake passports, narcotics, or ammunition. They then demand money to be transferred to fake RBI accounts to clear the victim’s name, leveraging the victim’s fear of legal trouble. Courier scams, also known as FedEx scams, were initially more common, increased awareness has led fraudsters to devise new methods. Their primary strategy involves terrorizing victims by falsely linking their credit cards, phone numbers, or courier packages to criminal activities.

Some other scams that the Vizag City Police have spread awareness about on their social media platforms include:

5. Online Stock Trading Scams

These scams specifically target stock market investors in Vizag through ads on social media platforms like Facebook. The ads lure victims by promising lucrative trading tips if they join a WhatsApp group. Upon clicking the join link, victims are asked to answer some personal questions before being added to the WhatsApp group, which already appears to have many active members.

In the group, members post screenshots and testimonials about how the group helped them achieve significant profits through stock trading. The group admin then sends the victim a link to download the company’s trading app. Initially, the victim sees substantial returns on small investments, and withdrawals are processed quickly, increasing their trust in the system.

Encouraged by these early successes, the victim invests more money, seeing even greater virtual profits. However, when they attempt to withdraw a larger sum, the app denies the request, citing that the victim has exceeded 300% of profits and must pay a 10% commission to withdraw. Even after paying the commission, the fraudsters block the victim’s number and remove them from the WhatsApp group, effectively stealing their money.

6. Redeem Points Fraud

In these scams, victims receive a message with a link, claiming they can cash in their reward points by clicking it. The link directs them to a fake bank page designed to look authentic. The page requests the victim’s credit card number, CVV, expiry date, and subsequently, an OTP sent to their phone.

Believing they are about to receive a cash refund, the victim enters the OTP, only to be alerted that money has been debited from their account.

7. E-Challan Scam

Fraudsters send messages for traffic challan payments. The links are fake and can lead to fraudsters hacking the victims’ bank accounts. The message usually looks like this:

Your Challan No is 3489157841xxxx for
xx08xx8182 having total challan
amount as Rs. 500. For online payment of challan visit:
https://echallanparivahan.in/
you can also contact RTO office for disposal of challan.

The URL provided, however, is fake. The original link looks like this:  https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/

If people receive suspicious phone calls or messages that might be related to these scams, they are advised to contact the Vizag Cyber Crimes cell at +91 94906 17917.

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