Scammers Pose as NIA Officers, Threaten Arrest to Steal Lakhs: New Cyber Fraud Tactic
Cybercrime Case Highlights New Scam Tactic
A recent cybercrime case has shed light on a new tactic used by scammers to extort money from victims. In this instance, a gang of fraudsters posed as an officer from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and threatened to arrest their target unless a substantial sum of money was transferred to their accounts.
The Scam
The scam began with a phone call from an individual claiming to be a representative of the Haryana administrative department. The caller alleged that the victim’s Aadhaar-linked SIM card had been issued fraudulently and was being used in suspected terrorist activities, involving money-laundering transactions totaling ₹7-8 crore under the victim’s name. The victim was then handed over to another individual who introduced himself as an NIA officer and continued to threaten arrest.
Under intense psychological pressure, the victim transferred ₹48 lakh to multiple bank accounts. However, once the money was received, the scammers ceased all communication. An investigation was launched, and a suspect, Sanjoy Malloraj, was arrested in connection with the case. It was discovered that Malloraj had used his company’s bank account to receive the fraudulent funds, with around ₹4 lakh from the cybercrime transactions being traced to this account.
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