Page 17 - Seniors Today Magazine April 2024
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Within a few minutes of that, another mail package sent to Russia in his name, saying
comes in asking for an additional amount of it was intercepted at the customs and being
Rs. 17,571. Sharad transfers that amount too returned since it contained banned drugs.
to the bank account. Sharad is feeling good The FedEx agent goes on to tell Prakash
that he has helped his friend and messages that he will transfer the call to the police
his friend on his WA giving him the details and he is free to explain to them directly.
of the transfers and inquires if he was able They also wanted to check his bank account
to clear the shipment of medicines from the to check for any credits from nefarious
customs. Sharad’s friend is shocked to hear sources and ask him to transfer the monies
this and tells him that he has not asked for so that they can check the source of the
any help and that his mail had been hacked funds and if they are genuine the amounts
into a few months ago. His friend further will be re-transferred to his bank account.
said that if at all he was in such a situation, All these conversations lead to Sharad
he would have called him up or Sharad transferring nearly Rs. 8 lakhs in moments
should have called him up before falling in a charged atmosphere of fear and threats
prey and transferring such large amounts over the blurred video call. Further
based on a mail. Sharad was crestfallen. transfers thankfully stopped only because
He had acted in good faith since the e-mail his bank was alert and noticed unusual
carried his friend’s known mail id. Sharad transfers and blocked his bank account.
lodged a complaint with the cyber crime Sharad, a clean as a whistle professional
helpline number and also wrote to the and a highly intelligent career government
receiving bank about their faulty due employee, was significantly relieved of a
diligence systems and how they could allow sizeable amount from his retirement kitty
scamsters to open fraudulent accounts. His and is ruing what happened. He has no
prompt action of reporting the crime to the explanation for why he did what he did and
cybercrime cell and also writing to the bank has withdrawn into a shell.
helped his cause and the bank obliged by The other day one came across a news
refunding the amounts to Sharad to protect article in the papers about a businessman
their public image of a safe bank. Sharad getting a call from a cop saying that
was lucky to get his money back. his son has been retained in Dubai for
being found with some banned items
and to secure his release he has to pay a
fine of 15,000 dirhams. The cop did not
even allow him to speak to his son. The
businessman immediately paid up the
money by scanning a QR code, fearing for
the wellbeing of his son. Later that evening
he found out that he had been tricked when
he called up his son to find out if he was
alright and found that he was safe and
Prakash, a retired senior government secure and that he had not been travelling
technologist, gets a video call the other at all nor was he ever detained at the Dubai
day claiming to be from FedEx, about a customs.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #58 | APRIL 2024 17
