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Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Pune engineering firm loses Rs2.35 crore to man-in-the-middle fraud
Pune: Cybercrooks cheated an engineering solutions company at Dhayari of Rs2.35 crore in a man-in-the-middle fraud on June 10. This is a type of online fraud in which the perpetrator positions himself in a digital conversation between two users either to eavesdrop or to impersonate one of the parties, making it appear like a normal exchange of information. The director of the company lodged a complaint in this regard. Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of cyber police told TOI, "The company has a tie-up with an Italy-based company and wanted to purchase a press bending machine to manufacture automobile parts." You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune "In Feb this year, the company in Dhayari, which manufactures automobile spares and engineering products, decided to place an order with the Italian company and communicated their requirement through emails. The Italian company promised to manufacture the press bending machine of the specific requirement of the Dhayari company and to ship to Pune," Shinde said. "The Italian company then sent a payment schedule to Dhayari-based company," Shinde said. "On June 10, the company received an email, which appeared to be from the Italian company, though bank account number mentioned in it was different. Without verifying and cross-checking with Italian company officials, the Pune firm's accounts department transferred 240,000 Euros (Rs2.35 crore) for the machine," Shinde said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Knee pain prices might surprise you Knee pain | search ads Find Now Undo "After transferring the money, officials of the Dhayari-based company contacted the Italian company to inform them about the payment. However, the Italian company officials denied receiving the payment. The company officials then checked their accounts and realised that the payment was made to some other account," she said.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Indian Express
‘Digital arrest' fraud: Threatened with arrest under National Security Act, retired judge duped of Rs 1 cr
A retired judge from Pune became the victim of a digital arrest scam in which he lost over Rs 1 crore to a cyber-criminal who posed as an IPS officer and threatened to arrest him under the National Security Act. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Cyber Crime Police station of Pune City by the retired judge who is in his early 80s. In the third week of March this year, the complainant received a call from a woman who identified herself as 'IPS officer Navjot Simi', which is the name of the serving IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. The fraud officer told the complainant that his involvement in a Rs 2 crore money laundering case had come to light and that its inquiry had been handed over to her. The complainant categorically denied his involvement in any such crime or transactions. On a video call, the fraudster showed him what she claimed was a 'digital arrest warrant' and that it had the Aadhar details of the complainant. The fraudster then started questioning the complainant about his finances and bank deposits. After the complainant shared the details, the woman told him to transfer those funds to 'government accounts' for a 'verification process'. The complainant was threatened not to disclose the charges against him to anyone. He was told that failing to comply with 'the investigation' and disclosing his details to anyone else would lead to his prosecution under the National Security Act. Between the third week of March and the first week of May, the caller repeatedly pressured the complainant into making 10 transactions totalling Rs 1.05 crore to fraudulent mule accounts, claiming those accounts were for the government's verification process. Throughout his entire communication with the woman, he was told the funds would be returned after the verification process. After some time, the complainant was told the charges against him had been cleared but was asked to pay Rs 17 lakh for a 'clearance certificate'. It was at this point that the complainant realised he had been cheated and approached the police. After a preliminary inquiry, an FIR was registered in the case at Cyber crime police station. Senior Inspector Swapnali Shinde was probing the case. Officials have expressed concern that despite extensive awareness campaigns and sensitisation efforts by the government and law enforcement agencies, incidents of digital arrest, online extortion and blackmail continue to be reported. In an advisory issued in May last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs noted a significant rise in complaints related to intimidation, blackmail, extortion, and so-called 'digital arrests'. These scams are typically carried out by cyber criminals impersonating officials from law enforcement agencies such as the police, CBI, Narcotics Department, RBI, and Enforcement Directorate and judges. Such frauds have been serious enough to be flagged at the highest levels, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address last year. As previously reported by Express, these scams are orchestrated by complex, multilayered syndicates operating across borders. Victims' money is often funneled into mule accounts and then routed to international cybercrime networks through cryptocurrency channels.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Retired contractor loses Rs4cr to online share trading fraud
1 2 3 Pune: Online fraudsters duped a retired civil contractor (60) from Sinhagad Road of Rs4.17 crore between March 28 and May 30, after promising him handsome returns on his investment in online trade of shares. The victim lodged a complaint of cheating with the Pune cyber police last week, following which an FIR was lodged two days ago. Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of the Cyber police station said, "The victim and his family members stay in an apartment on Sinhagad Road. His son is also a businessman." According to the police, the victim's phone number was added to a group on a messaging application on March 28, where the fraudsters discussed high returns from the trade of shares using an online platform. The group members, who claimed to earn a good profit, always praised the group's administrator for tips. The victim read all these messages and was impressed by the profit earned by the group members. Shinde said, "The victim decided to contact the group's administrator. The group administrator, a fraudster, told him to download an application, where he could buy and sell shares. The fraudster also sent him a link. The victim downloaded the application and started buying shares of small amounts." She said, "The fraudsters then contacted him and told him to invest in high-value shares to generate a handsome profit. The suspects promised to help him out in buying IPOs and high-value shares, which would churn out a handsome profit. The victim accepted their proposal of help. The fraudsters then shared details of 12 different bank accounts with him and told him to transfer money to these." The victim then started transferring the money. The fraudsters manipulated his application of share trading by showing his profit increasing with each transfer of money, Shinde said. "The victim made 76 high-volume transfers to 12 bank accounts, whose details were shared by the fraudsters. Gradually, the online application, which the victim downloaded, showed a profit of Rs43 crore," she said. "The victim then tried to sell the shares worth Rs1 crore, but the fraudsters did not allow him to do so. The victim made repeated calls and messaged them, but the fraudsters kept on asking for more money instead of releasing his funds," Shinde said. Following this, he ran an online search and read about such frauds. The victim then approached the police last week and submitted a complaint application. After verification of his application, the police registered the FIR.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Time of India
Fake cops dupe ex-DRDO officer of 1 crore with bogus money laundering case
1 2 3 Pune: Cybercrooks posing as Mumbai police officers forced a 74-year-old former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officer from Sinhagad Road to transfer Rs1.11 crore in the last week of May after threatening him with arrest in a bogus money laundering case. The money went to five different bank accounts before the victim realised the con and approached the police. Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of cyber police said, "The victim stated in his complaint that the crooks called him and identified themselves as officers from Colaba police station in Mumbai. They claimed that his personal and banking credentials, and Aadhaar card details were used in money laundering transactions by an 'aviation company owner' and to clear his name, he must cooperate by giving them his bank details and making the money transfers for verification. " The officer said, "The crooks made a video call using a messaging application, and the victim spoke to the fraudsters. They were wearing 'police uniforms', and the background had the logo of Mumbai Police." Shinde said. "The fraudsters claimed that they found a large number of illegal transactions on the victim's bank account. They then sought detailed statements of the accounts. The victim gave the statements to them on the messaging application." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Here's A List Of Cheapest Steel Suppliers (See The List) Steel Suppliers | search ads Search Now Undo She said, "The suspects kept on threatening to arrest the victim until June 1 and later, they promised to help him in the case by not arresting him. They also said they would arrest him and it would bring defamation to the family, if the money was not paid to them. They demanded money in exchange for the help they offered him. They shared details of five different bank accounts, and the victim transferred the money to those. " Shinde said, "The victim exhausted all his savings, withdrew his fixed deposits (FD) and transferred the money to the five bank accounts of the suspects. The suspects had stated that they would return the money to the victim in a day or two. The victim dialled the phone numbers of the suspects, but they were switched off. He then realised that he was cheated."
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pune varsity files complaint over fake SET paper leak posts on social media
The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on Wednesday approached the Pune Cyber Police Station with a complaint against fake and misleading content being circulated on social media regarding a purported paper leak in the upcoming State Eligibility Test (SET). The state eligibility test (SET) examination department of SPPU, which operates under the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines and conducts the exam on behalf of the Maharashtra government, is the nodal body responsible for determining eligibility for assistant professor posts in universities and senior colleges across Maharashtra and Goa. Swapnali Shinde, inspector, cyber police, said, 'If any concrete information emerges, a press release will be issued. At this stage, the case is under investigation.' The 40th SET exam is scheduled to be held on June 15 at various college centres in 18 cities across Maharashtra and Goa. In the lead-up to the exam, some unverified claims and videos alleging a paper leak have surfaced online, triggering anxiety among aspirants. The university has categorically denied these claims and termed them baseless. 'These videos and posts have no factual basis. Students are advised not to fall for such misinformation,' the SET department said in a statement, adding that only updates issued through the official SET portal should be trusted. Rahul Sasane, representative of the University Students Action Committee, said the panel has submitted a letter to the vice-chancellor demanding probe into the issue.
