Shillong, Sept 27: Pakistanis cyber criminals are trying to dupe people in Meghalaya and one such case has been reported from Jaintia Hills.
Officer in-charge, Jowai police station S. Manners informed about a case of online fraud, with a number from Pakistan, telling a family about their son being implicated in a police case and sought money to dismiss it.
“A family received a call from an unknown number. The person claimed to be from Jowai police station and informed their son will be picked up under a rape case registered. The person said the case can be dismissed if a certain amount of money is deposited quickly online,” Manners informed on Wednesday.
Fortunately, the family didn’t pay the amount and contacted the Jowai police station to know more about the case registered against their son. The police informed the family that no such case was registered and then checked the number which made the call. It turned out to be from Pakistan!
It’s not just about Pakistanis, but cyber criminals operate beyond geographical boundaries and could be from anywhere. Manners said there was another case where a person lost money while trying to purchase a car online.
“Another instance is about an individual from West Jaiñtia Hills tricked by an advertisement on social media for the sale of a used Maruti car. He was asked to deposit Rs. 40,000 for the car to be home delivered, which he did, but the vehicle never arrived,” Manners said. Later, the police traced the number to Rajasthan.
The OC said cyber crime in Meghalaya is increasing and he, therefore, urged the people not to fall victim to such scams. He said if anyone receives a call from an unknown number, they should first verify if the person calling is genuine.
“Under no circumstances money should be exchanged. First it has to be verified whether the purchase or anything, what the caller says, is true. It must be verified thoroughly,” he advised the public.
Recently, over 700 people from the state lost their money in an online scam. Over one crore rupees was defrauded by the scamsters. Five people have been arrested in this scam which involved investing money online for quick high returns.
The cyber crime wing of Meghalaya police has also said that such crimes are increasing in the state and, from 2019 till date, attempts to defraud investors through online scams stands at Rs. 2.4 crore.
