MARGAO: A senior citizen from a village in Salcete narrowly escaped falling victim to a bank account fraud after his family members, neighbours, and the police intervened. The incident began when the senior citizen, who had just returned from abroad, received a call from someone claiming to be an officer from the Mumbai Enforcement Directorate (ED). The caller, posing as a Senior Police (SP) official, demanded the senior citizen’s bank details.
The senior citizen was unaware about the spate of hoax calls reported in South Goa over the past few weeks and was in a state of panic from 9 am till the evening. The fraudster was constantly in touch with the senior citizen, pressuring him to provide bank details and withdraw cash. The caller instructed him to stay indoors and lock the door of his house, claiming that he was under house arrest. The fraudsters also hacked his two mobile phones, further isolating him.
The senior citizen was asked to provide sensitive information such as his bank account number, PAN card, and Aadhaar card details, under the pretext of resolving an issue with a parcel allegedly found at Mumbai airport. Despite his insistence that he had no such parcel, the fraudsters persisted, showing him screenshots and instructing him to carry out tasks within his home while staying on the call.
Fortunately, the senior citizen’s daughter, who resides abroad, sensed something was amiss when her father mentioned that he couldn’t open the door of his house. She alerted other family members and neighbours, who then contacted the police. The police quickly intervened, revealing the call to be from a fraudster and averting the potential scam.
The family has since approached the Maina-Curtorim police to lodge a formal complaint. The police visited the man’s house and confirmed that they are investigating the matter.
This incident is part of a worrying trend of fraudsters posing as police officers to extort money. In a similar case, parents from Loutolim received a call from a fraudster pretending to be a CID officer, claiming their daughter was in custody for involvement in flesh trade. The fraudster demanded Rs 50,000 through the GPay app, causing extreme panic by using the name of their daughter and playing background audio of a girl crying.
Responding to the growing number of scam calls, Salim Shaikh, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Salcete, had urged citizens to exercise extreme caution. “The Cyber Cell has been continuously raising awareness about this issue. However, citizens need to be careful and not fall prey to these fraudsters,” he appealed.
