Hyderabad GST Practitioner Scammed of Rs 4.51 Lakh in New Year Fraud

The 50-year-old complainant's ordeal began on December 27, when he received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as Aman from the Mumbai Crime Branch, falsely accused the victim of being involved in illegal activities like drug trafficking, human trafficking, and weapons sales. He claimed that a complaint had been lodged against the GST practitioner, gave a purported complaint number, and stated that an arrest warrant had already been issued in his name.

All his New Year celebrations faded away since he was restricted from take any calls. Even when his wife questioned if anything was wrong, he remained silent as the fraudsters threatened that the family members will also end up in jail.

Already threatened, the practitioner was bombarded with numerous calls from various numbers claiming to be officers, including from the crime branch and the CBI. These scammers told him that in order to avoid being arrested, he had to cooperate by providing personal information such as his Aadhaar card, family details, and bank account information for verification.

They further manipulated him by saying his life was at risk and that other accused linked to the case may have reasons to harm him.

As the New Year celebrations unfolded around him, the victim remained glued to his phone, following the scammer's instructions. The victim though performing his daily routine like going to the office, yet he was constantly updating the scamsters over the calls and sharing his live location too.

He feared for his safety and when asked about the balance amounts in his bank accounts, he shared the information and transferred Rs 4.51 lakh to various bank accounts as instructed.

However, the victim realised something was wrong when the calls stopped after the victim deposited the amount.