Kolkata: An elderly businessman and his wife lost Rs 3 crore after being held hostage in their Behala Parnasree home for nearly two weeks by cyber-extortionists who used a digital arrest threat with impunity to harass the couple for up to 20 hours a day.
Terrified by what they believed was constant ‘CBI surveillance' through livestream of their movements via laptops and cellphones, the duo ended up paying the amount to the crooks.
Posing as officers of CBI, ED and other central agencies, the fraudsters kept the couple constantly on tenterhooks to extract the money through online bank transfers.
The couple's ordeal began when the husband received a call on Oct 5 from an individual claiming to be a representative of a well known courier firm.
The caller bluffed that the husband was being investigated by CBI and ED as a parcel in his name containing substances resembling illegal drugs had been seized.The initial call was shortly followed by a video call from a man who identified himself as CBI officer Amit Kumar, presented a forged ID card and threatened the businessman and his wife with arrest.
Under the guise of investigation, the fraudsters coerced the couple into switching the laptops and mobile phones at home on video mode for surveillance.
The deception escalated when two more individuals joined the call, impersonating as IPS officers representing fictitious global organisations such as Cyber Crime Head and Financial Action Task Force. They also presented forged documents with logos of the CBI, RBI, ED and the Supreme Court to demand money for "fund verification".
Fearing massive legal repercussions, the couple transferred over Rs 3 crore to the bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.
It wasn't clear on which dates and in how many tranches they transferred the money.
The couple appear to have finally emerged from the spell of terror on Oct 18 when they mustered up enough courage to lodge a complaint with the cyber cell of Kolkata Police. A case was registered under multiple BNS sections and police have blocked some of the money from getting transferred to the swindlers.
"It is still early into the probe. This will take some time," said an officer overseeing the investigation.
Police say a combination of factors, ranging from unfamiliarity with the digital world to age-related emotional vulnerability, is responsible for an increasing number of senior citizens falling victim to the
.
Another officer felt older adults are more likely to respond to communications from sources that appear legitimate like bank, police or govt. Research suggests this relates to a greater generational trust in authority as they seek social security post-retirement or while approaching retirement.
"Older people are more likely to live alone and have smaller social networks. This reduces opportunities to discuss potential scams and seek advice from others when they have concerns about the legitimacy of online requests," the officer said.