Ernakulam rural police issued a warning against cyber fraud following an alert from the city police about a sharp rise in scams. Over the past four months, residents have been defrauded of at least Rs 3 crore through various online schemes. About Rs 2 crore was lost in scams promising large profits from online trading, while a senior citizen from Aluva was swindled out of Rs 1.15 crore by fraudsters posing as investigative officers. These scammers tricked the senior citizen by falsely claiming there was a Supreme Court warrant against him, leading him to transfer the money in six transactions.
The majority of the victims were well-educated and affluent individuals. Scammers contacted the senior citizen through a video call, wearing a high-ranking officer’s uniform, and displayed a fake FIR and warrant. They demanded that the victim transfer the money quickly as part of a security check. Following a police investigation, six individuals were arrested, according to Ernakulam Rural SP Vaibhav Saxena. In another case, a Kalady resident lost Rs 50 lakh in an online trading scam but the rural cyber police station team managed to recover Rs 40 lakh and arrested six people involved in the fraud.
Additionally, an Aluva resident lost Rs 45 lakh in an online trading scam, despite being employed in a high-ranking position. Three individuals were arrested in this case. Other cases included a Kothamangalam resident losing Rs 33 lakh and another person in Aluva losing Rs 22 lakh through online trading fraud. The police emphasize the importance of vigilance against such scams, particularly targeting well-educated and affluent individuals.
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