Hyderabad: Scamsters cast ‘KBC lottery’ bait

Hyderabad: At least eight cases have been registered by the Hyderabad cyber crime unit this month against scamsters indulging in lottery fraud in the name of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).

Fraudsters posing as representatives of KBC lure the victims with prizes and dupe them. They send fake certificates to gain the confidence of the victims.

Recently, a 19-year-old was duped by crooks who claimed that he had won a lottery prize money of Rs 25 lakh from KBC.

According to the police, the caller asked the youth to deposit some amount for paying income-tax to clear the lottery prize. The victim transferred around `90,000 through a bank account.

Speaking about the method of operation of the gang, Hyderabad cyber crime inspector G. Venkat Rami Reddy said, “The fraudsters are mainly targeting uneducated youth and luring them with the promise of a lottery prize. They ask the victim to pay different charges for registration, CGST, SGST charges, etc.”

He said the scamsters had access to thousands of mobile numbers. Mr Reddy advised people, “If you get a suspicious call it might be a scamster trying to con you of your money, you should immediately inform police and not fall prey to such scamsters.”

Cyber crime police registered a case under Indian Penal Code Section 419 (punishment for cheating), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and the relevant section of the Information Technology Act.