Online fraudsters shift tactics to target Indians

New Delhi: If you thought that phishing emails aiming to defraud you of your hard earned income only come as lottery and charity baits, then be alert!

As per security experts, scammers are now casting their net to dupe innocent people on the pretext of offering partnership with multinational companies, investment in herbal seed businesses and channelising foreign funds.

Daily Mail, quoting a Delhi Police Crime Branch officer, reported that 'The scamsters lure gullible targets via social networking sites such as Facebook.. 'They then pose as diplomats or MNC executives and entice their targets to invest in a global venture, which actually does not exist.

'Interestingly, all dealings are done at high-secured areas such as airport and five-star hotels to give an impression of being high-flyers and avoid the risk of getting into trouble.'

The report said that the latest in the police trap is 34-year-old Anigbogu Kelly from Nigeria who was residing in New Delhi and was arrested after resistance from Patna airport this week. Kelly was allegedly trying to get away with Rs 5 lakh from Patna resident Ajay Kumar, who had already paid Rs 5 lakh as advance for getting the distributorship of herbal seeds. 

The police say that there are several online gangs running scams to procure seeds with medicinal values that can cure diseases, including cancer. 

'There is no fixed narrative. Depending upon the profile of the target, the gang traps them. In the herbal seeds scam, the victim is approached online as a representative of an overseas pharmaceutical firm looking to source herbal seeds from local farmers through an agent. They promise the victim huge returns if they pay the agent upfront for the seeds. Then they disappear with the money,' the report quoted Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force's additional superintendent of police Triveni Singh