Karachi calling from Dubai

Fraudsters make money by both product codes and ISD calls

Karachi calling from Dubai

Fraudsters make money by both product codes and ISD calls

Cross-border fraud: Hardeep Singh pic/Mid day

Now, a new fraud by Pakistani nationals on unsuspecting Indians may spell doom for that channel. Complaints are already being investigated by top agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police against Pakistani nationals who have trying to dupe Indians. To ensure you are not the next victim, read on.

Hardeep Singh, 35, was busy discussing the architectural design of a new residential complex he was planning to construct when he noticed a missed call on his mobile phone from an international number.

The Janakpuri builder called back on the number +923054395392. "Hi! I am calling from Dubai. You have won Rs 20 lakh in a lottery which was held in seven other countries, including India and Pakistan. Your winning code is 65," the voice on the other side said.

The caller also asked Singh to confirm his full name.

Singh did as told and was asked to call on the number +9230056721066666 that the caller on the other side, who had a "distinct Muslim accent", said belonged to one Sunder Singh, manager of a reputed nationalized bank in Mumbai. When he checked, Singh found out the number was a Pakistani one.

A reluctant Singh still dialed the given number.

"Ji mere bhai, aap farmaiye. Bas mujhe apna winning code bata dijiye (Yes, please tell me. I just want you to tell me your winning code)," the call receiver asked Singh. When Singh gave him the code, he was told: "Ji bilkul mere bhai aapne purey 10 lakh rupaiye jeete hai. Aapki amanat mere paas hai. Bus mujhe apna bank account number bata dijiye taaki main paise aap tak pahucha du (Yes you have indeed won Rs 10 lakh. Your money is safe with me. Please give me your account number so that I can transfer your money)."

When Singh disclosed his account number, he was asked to buy coupons of Dish TV worth Rs 18,250 and SMS them to ensure that the money is transferred to his account. "He even asked me if I would like to visit Dubai and assured me that the company will give me a visit visa for three people," Singh said.

Howehe a missed call, I have to call back," he said.

When MiD DAY called up the same number, the person identified himself as an Airtel executive and offered the same lottery amount and asked for account details.

He also warned against hanging up before a stipulated time and asked to procure ITZ Cash Cards of similar amounts to reclaim the money.

DishTV has already lodged a complaint against the scam. In a statement, the Indian DTH major said: "The moment Dish TV got to know about it, SMSes were sent to the entire subscriber base. We have also sent e-mails to our subscribers as well as trade partners to apprise them of the situation and warn against the fraud." "Dish TV has lodged a complaint with the Economic Offence Wing, New Delhi and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprising them of all the information Dish TV had in this regard. We also ran a warning on our interactive channel. DishTV is sparing no effort to raise awareness about the issue."

Cyber crime experts pointed out that such calls have become a regular phenomenon in the recent past.

Gurgaon-based cyber crime expert Himanshu Tiwari, who help the police in solving cases related to his area of expertise, said the primary aim of such fraud is to steal personal details. "The produce codes of the reputed companies that they ask the victim to procure are sold by them to make a lot of money," he said. "International call fraud is another angle to the story. Telecom providers are trying to educate their customers as it is very hard to nab such criminals," Tiwari said.

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