Scam Alert: Private Tutor From Pune Swindled of 10 Lakh Rupees In Fake Courier Drug Case

A private tutor was duped of lakhs of money last month when she received a fraudster’s call pretending to be from a courier service firm.

25 April 2024

By Payoshi Bisht

A 55 year old private tuition teacher from the Koregaon Park area of Pune was duped of almost 10 lakh rupees last month by a group of fraudsters posing as members of a global courier firm. The incident took place between 19th and 20th March 2024, when the tuition teacher was forced to pay almost 10.1 lakh rupees to the fraudsters in a drug courier case. 

The victim filed a complaint with the cybersecurity cell stating how and when the fraud occurred. The case was registered at the Koregaon Park police station on Tuesday. In her complaint, the victim described that she received a call from the impersonator, who was posing as a member of a courier firm, and who informed her that contrabands and drugs have been found in a parcel belonging to her. The caller threatened to prosecute her and put her behind bars for trafficking drugs in the parcel. 

The victim was forced to divulge bank details and make payments of 10.1 lakh rupees in order to be saved from being prosecuted. The caller did not contact the victim after getting the money and possibly fled the scene. The victim was told that she was a suspect in a money laundering and terror case and if she wanted to save her name, she would have to follow their instructions and transfer the money to the bank account as directed. The fraudsters reassured the victim that once the investigation was completed and verified, the money would be returned to her.