Pune : 28-year-old woman falls prey to scam; loses Rs 5.5 lakh in drugs in parcel fraud

Last year in August, a Pune woman became a victim of a cyber scam. Employing a method reminiscent of the infamous ‘drugs in parcel’ scams, the 28-year-old woman fell prey losing a staggering sum of Rs 5.5 lakh. Under the pretense of having an FIR lodged against her, she was accused of transferring funds to multiple fraudulent accounts.

The culprits initially posed as representatives of a courier company, then later impersonated police officers. They falsely accused her of shipping a tiger skin to Malaysia and even presented a fabricated FIR to support their claim. This is the ‘tiger skin in parcel’ scam to which people are falling prey.

Realizing she had been scammed, the woman promptly reported the incident to the cyber crime police station. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged at Hadapsar police station, marking the formal initiation of the investigation into the fraudulent activity.

The modus operandi employed by the fraudsters closely resembles that of the ‘drugs in parcel’ scams, wherein unsuspecting individuals are targeted by fake international courier service representatives. Victims are informed of contraband being discovered in parcels addressed to them, with the scammers invoking threats of police involvement to coerce compliance.

Often impersonating high-ranking IPS officers, they instill fear in victims by claiming dire consequences if immediate action, such as transferring money for customs or legal charges, is not taken.

Moreover, victims are manipulated into believing that their bank accounts are under threat from hackers and are subjected to intimidation tactics, such as claims of being under surveillance.

Since January of the previous year, Pune has witnessed over three dozen cases exhibiting similar patterns of fraudulent activity, highlighting the alarming prevalence of cyber scams in the region.