Courier Scam: Know How A 66-YO Man Lost Rs 1.5 Cr In Fraud; 5 Ways You Can Protect Your Money

Have you received any new warnings from your bank or officials about a new scam? Fraudsters are running another scheme and already have several Indians as their victims. Many people have reported to have lost crores to this new fraud called courier scam.

If you are wondering what it is and how to protect yourself from it, you have landed on the right page. 

What Is Courier Scam?

In this new fraud alert, banks are telling their clientele about scammers posing as customs officials. They are contacting people and claiming that a parcel has been booked in their names and it has been found to contain illegal substances and drugs.

The fraudsters would terrify the person to the extent that they would agree to send them a huge amount of money to clear a case of drug trafficking or money laundering against them. 

How A Woman Lost 1.5 Cr In Courier Scam?

A 66-year-old resident in Bengaluru received a call from a courier operator who claimed to be working with FedEx. He told Debashish Das that he found a parcel addressed to her from Taiwan.

The contents of the courier were 950 gms of drugs, credit cards, and a few expired passports. The fraudster also told the victim that he would be connecting him with someone from a police station in Andheri, Mumbai, on a Skype call.

When Das got on the call, another impersonator told him that he was speaking from the department of Mumbai’s cybercrime branch. The fraudster told the victim that details of all his accounts had been shared with the deputy commissioner of police (DCP).

Das was told to transfer all his money (Scams That Can Make You Lose Money) to another account designated by a scammer. He sent around ₹1.52 crores to a Punjab National Bank account and was told that the authorities would investigate and get back to him in the next 30-40 minutes. But once the money was transferred, the fraudsters stopped responding. 

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How To Protect Yourself From Courier Scam?

Many people have received such calls, and victims have claimed that people from law and enforcement departments have duped them. According to a report by The Indian Express, 250 people in Bengaluru have reported the scam (WhatsApp Scam) and said that they have lost all their money to people impersonating as officials. 

Here is how you can manage to stay safe from this fraud,

• Do not entertain unknown callers, especially if they seem to be claiming government officials. You can always call back on toll-free numbers of banks and other official departments to verify the call.
• Do not provide One Time Password (OTP), Aadhaar Card details, or any other confidential document without verifying the caller and their intention behind reaching out to you.
• Avoid clicking on suspicious links sent to you by unknown numbers and IDs on social media platforms and WhatsApp.
• If you are suspicious about a number, you should never call back and report it to the police or the cybercrime department.
• You should always verify the details before acting on them if the call has been from an unknown caller.
• If someone calls you with an emergency or threatens you with a bunch of legal words, try not to lose your calm. You should always speak to a trusted person and officials to ensure that the people reaching out are not fraudsters.

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If you want to report a crime or incident to cybercrime, you can complain on their number (155260) or fill out a form at cybercrime.gov.in. You can always reach out to the police or visit a nearby police station for better guidance.