In a shocking incident, fraudsters took advantage of a retired army officer's confidence to con him into losing a significant amount of money—Rs 3 lakh. They achieved this by posing as his American relatives. When the same con artists called him again, posing as another distant relative this time, the retired officer's predicament became even more perplexing. They made an effort to lure him with gifts.
According to a TOI article, the victim, Capt (retd) Ranjit Singh, 64, of Billamaranahalli, relates what happened on August 17. His phone called at about 10:56 with a New York number on it. A relative of Capt. Singh named Sukhwinder Singh answered the phone and announced his impending trip to India. The imposter promised Capt. Singh during their talk that he would send a specific sum of money into his bank account, which he could subsequently access once in India.
The fraudster, in accordance with the predetermined plan, obtained Capt. Singh's bank account information and then sent a message confirming a transfer of Rs 24,45,050 to his account. Soon later, Capt. Singh got a call from someone posing as an executive with the State Bank of India. He was told by this fictitious official that a sizable sum had been successfully credited to his account and that visibility was anticipated in 24 hours.
When the same foreign number called again, asking that Capt. Singh sent Rs. 5 lakh because of alleged visa-related problems, the situation worsened. The con artist gave Capt. Singh the contact information for a travel agency and asked for a direct transfer of the needed amount, telling him to deduct it from the Rs 24 lakh previously sent.
Capt. Singh spent all of his remaining balance of Rs. 1 lakh to comply, and he also persuaded a friend to make a contribution of Rs. 2 lakh to the aforementioned account. The fraudster persisted and demanded an additional Rs 2 lakh, unfazed. For a digital payment this time, a different mobile number was given.
