File photograph used for representational purposes only
Bengaluru: Cyber fraudsters held a 79-year-old man in digital arrest for an entire month, accusing him of sending obscene messages to women and laundering money.
By the end, they had swindled him of Rs 81.1 lakh.
The victim, a retired private sector employee from Tilak Nagar, was effectively confined to his home and a hotel, the police said.
While cybercriminals often use logistics companies to dupe victims, accusing them of obscene messages is a new tactic, said a senior officer investigating the case.
The ordeal began on September 29 when the man received a call from someone impersonating an officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch. The caller read out a phone number, falsely claiming it was his, and accused him of sending obscene messages to women. The fraudster also alleged that an FIR was registered against him at Mumbai’s Pantnagar police station and summoned him to Mumbai for questioning.