BEWARE THE NEW BIG CON

CYBER CRIMINAL NETWORKS, OFTEN BASED ABROAD, ARE NOW LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS TO WEAVE ELABORATE STINGS WITH FAKE COPS AND ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES TO DEPRIVE UNSUSPECTING VICTIMS OF THEIR ENTIRE LIFE SAVINGS

- Rohit Parihar, Kaushik Deka, Amarnath K. Menon, Pradip R. Sagar, Rahul Noronha, Jumana Shah and Avishek G. Dastidar

Major General Prabodh Chander Puri (retd) remembers the day clearly. It was October 15. The 83-year-old had been going about his usual routine when the phone rang in his house in Panchkula, Haryana. On the other end was a voice of authority - stern, direct and deeply unnerving. Claiming to be a senior official of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the caller informed Puri that his mobile number had come up in a financial scam investigation. To "protect his honour" and avoid immediate incarceration, he would have to submit to an interrogation. What followed was a chilling 48-hour ordeal. Puri was subjected to video calls that appeared to be from legitimate government offices. The scammers even created a horrifyingly convincing ruse: a courtroom simulation with actors playing judges, police officials and enforcement agents, complete with wireless static sounds and official-looking documents. Overwhelmed, Puri transferred Rs 82.27 lakh into multiple bank accounts in tranches. He was told the money was only a "refundable security deposit" to clear his name. By the time the truth dawned on him, the scammers had vanished, leaving Puri devastated and financially ruined.