Pune: A 38-year-old woman working with a software company lost Rs23.5 lakh on July 5 to cybercrooks , who told her that drugs were found in an Iran-bound parcel with her name mentioned as the sender. She lodged a complaint in this connection on Saturday with the Hinjewadi police.
An officer from the Hinjewadi police said one of the crooks contacted the woman by posing as a head representative of a courier company in Mumbai. “The caller told the woman that the parcel had been seized by customs officials. She needed to come to Mumbai and tell the customs officials that she did not send any parcel,” the officer said.
The caller also gave the woman the option of contacting the customs officer through a telecommunication app. “Another suspect, who posed as a customs officer, told the woman that illegal transactions were made through her bank account. He then told the woman to share her cellphone screen so he could check illegal bank transactions through her bank’s app,” he said.
The investigating officer said by using the woman’s bank details, the crooks obtained a pre-approved loan of Rs20 lakh in her name. “After the loan amount was credited to the woman’s bank account, the crooks collectively siphoned off Rs23.5 lakh from the woman’s bank account,” he said.
In similar cases last month, three software engineers — two from Pashan and one from Chikhali —collectively lost around Rs 37 lakh to parcel frauds. Separate cases were registered with the Chatushrung.