Hyderabad: Courier companies under lens for fraudster links

Hyderabad: The cyber crime unit of the Hyderabad police is pursuing cases of courier companies in the city that operate in tandem with online fraudsters.

A lecturer from Secunderabad complained to the cyber crime police that she had uploaded her profile onto a matrimonial website. She got a reply from a person who made a fake profile of himself to match her requirements, and contacted her through mail.

He said he would courier her a diamond necklace worth Rs 9 lakh, showed her a fake necklace online, and asked her to pay Rs 2 lakh as courier charges. After she made the payment, the man disappeared.

In another case, the police has booked a case against an unidentified courier company in Kharkhana for cheating a woman. Ms Daisy Samuel, who works for a private company, said, “I received a call stating that I had won a Samsung J series mobile through a mobile number lucky draw. The actual price of the phone was Rs 13,000, but I was offered it for Rs 4,000.”

She said that a week after the call, she received a parcel. “The courier asked me to make the payment first, without allowing me to open the box. When I opened the box, I found an idol,” Ms Samuel said.

She complained to the Kharkhana police but there was no record of the mobile company or the courier service. “After investigations it was found that the private courier was operating on behalf of the fraudsters. I lost Rs 4,000,” she said.

A senior officer with the Hyderabad cyber crime unit wouldn’t provide any more information as investigations were on. He said, “There are a few fake couriers, but there are also a few that unknowingly support the online fraud.” “We are investigating a particular courier that has cheated many persons,” he added.