『India,भारत』 scams, fraudsters 2024.10.8-10.15

4 Taiwanese men among 17 held for ‘digital arrest’ fraud in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad cybercrime branch arrested 17 people, including four Taiwanese nationals, for running a ‘digital arrest’ racket. Victims were confined and forced to transfer large sums of money. The racket involved using apps to transfer money to accounts in Dubai. Police recovered cash, sim cards, mobiles, cheque books, credit cards, and bank passbooks.

AHMEDABAD: Seventeen individuals, including four from Taiwan, were arrested by Ahmedabad cybercrime branch on Monday for allegedly operating a nationwide “digital arrest” racket.

The modus operandi involves asking the victim to remain in confinement and accessible to fraudsters via video calls and other online tools. The victim is then coerced into transferring large sums of money into various bank accounts to be released.

The gang had “digitally arrested” a senior citizen for 10 days, monitored him via video calls, and compelled him to deposit Rs 79.34 lakh as “refundable” processing fees to resolve a “Reserve Bank of India issue,” said Joint Commissioner (Crime) Sharad Singhal.

The senior citizen filed a complaint, stating individuals posing as officials from TRAI, CBI and cybercrime branch alleged his account was being used for illegal transactions and made him deposit the money.

Following his complaint, police teams raided several locations in Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha and Maharashtra and apprehended the accused.

“We believe they may have targeted around 1,000 individuals so far,” Singhal said.

The four Taiwanese nationals have been identified as Mu Chi Sung (42), Chang Hu Yun (33), Wang Chun Wei (26) and Shen Wei (35), while the remaining 13 are from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan, he added.

“Cybercrime police teams conducted simultaneous operations in Delhi and Bangalore. Mu Chi Sung and Chang Hu Yun were apprehended at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi while Wang Chun Wei and Shen Wei were arrested in Bangalore,” a cybercrime officer said.

The four Taiwanese nationals had been visiting India for the past year and had provided mobile apps and other technical support to gang members to transfer money from one account to another.

“The mobile app used by the gang was developed by the Taiwanese men. They also integrated online wallets into their system. Money received from victims was transferred to other bank accounts and crypto accounts in Dubai using this app. They received a commission through hawala on the money routed through that app,” said Singhal.

Video calls were made to the victims from call centres designed to resemble real offices of probe agencies, Singhal said. Police recovered Rs 12.75 lakh in cash, 761 sim cards, 120 mobiles, 96 cheque books, 92 debit and credit cards and 42 bank passbooks.

—

17, including four Taiwanese nationals arrested for running ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud gang
Later, technical analysis revealed that more than 120 mobiles were connected to it and such setups were operational in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Ahmedabad: The Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad police on Monday arrested 17 people including four Taiwanese nationals from different cities in a crackdown on cyber crime network which used to con victims by placing them under “digital arrest.”

“Digital arrest” is a modus operandi of the cyber criminals claiming to be enforcement officers probing money laundering or anti-national activities. They would force the victims to be accessible via video or audio call round the clock while claiming to be investigating the crime.

In this case, the complainant and his wife were “digitally arrested” for ten days through video calls. The conmen claimed themselves as officials from TRAI, CBI and officers from Mumbai Cyber Crime and said that an FIR was registered against the duo in Byculla Police Station. The couple was told that an arrest warrant had also been issued against him.

The victim was made to deposit Rs 79.34 lakh in the conman’s account, which they claimed, was refundable after completing an inquiry by the RBI. The money, police investigation found, was deposited in different bank accounts located in Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Limbdi in Gujarat and different parts of Rajasthan, Delhi and Odisha.

After receiving the complaint and inputs, the cyber crime branch team raided places in Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha and Maharashtra and arrested 17 persons, including four Taiwanese nationals.

The Taiwan natives have been identified as Mu Chi Sung, 42, Chang Hu Yun, 33, Wang Chun Wei, 26, and Shen Wei, 35. They were arrested from Delhi and Bengaluru. Police said that the Taiwanese had allegedly “rented” bank accounts from several agents and facilitated technical expertise. The police found a new modus operandi of racket. They were using rooted mobiles, which connected to routers passing OTP links of various bank accounts to Taiwanese Gmail IDs.

Later, technical analysis revealed that more than 120 mobiles were connected to it and such setups were operational in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The team raided various locations in these cities and arrested one of the prime accused identified as Saif Haider. He is alleged to have been in direct contact with one of the Taiwanese citizens.

Police have recovered Rs 12.75 lakh in cash, 761 SIM cards, 120 mobile phones, 96 cheque books, 92 debit and credit cards and 42 bank passbooks related to accounts taken on rent to make transactions.

The Taiwanese nationals are alleged to have integrated online wallets in their system. They would receive money from victims and transfer them to different bank accounts as well as crypto accounts in Dubai using this app.

—

超過千人受害！「4台灣人」印度大搞詐騙　姓名全被公開

印度艾哈邁達巴德（Ahmedabad）警方於14日破獲一個詐騙集團，成功逮捕17名嫌犯，其中還包含4名台灣人。當地警方表示，該集團涉嫌運作一個全國性的詐騙網絡，他們要求受害者通過視訊通話等方式保持聯繫，並迫使受害者將大量資金轉入多個銀行帳戶，以換取「無罪」。

根據印度媒體報導指出，艾哈邁達巴德網絡犯罪警察局表示，這些台灣人分別為穆啟松（音譯，Mu Chi Sung，42歲）、張昊雲（音譯，Chang Hu Yun，33歲）、王俊威（音譯，Wang Chun Wei，26歲）和沈威（音譯，Shen Wei，35歲），其餘13名嫌犯來自古吉拉特邦（Gujarat）、馬哈拉施特拉邦（Maharashtra）、賈坎德邦（Jharkhand）、奧里薩邦（Odisha）和拉賈斯坦邦（Rajasthan）。

警方表示，詐騙集團冒充印度電信管理局（Telecom Regulatory Authority of India，TRAI）、印度中央調查局（Central Bureau of Investigation，CBI）以及孟買刑事分局等多個政府部門的官員，對受害者進行恐嚇，稱其銀行帳戶涉嫌非法交易，並要求支付一筆79.34萬盧比的「可退還」處理費，以此來解決印度儲備銀行（Reserve Bank of India，RBI）有關的問題。詐團成員會透過視訊電話來監控受害者，受害者也因此被「網路逮捕」長達十天。

後續有受害者報案後，印度警方展開多次突襲行動，當中包含古吉拉特邦、德里（Delhi）、拉賈斯坦邦、卡納塔克邦（Karnataka）、奧里薩邦及馬哈拉施特拉邦等地，最終抓獲了17名嫌疑人。

其中，兩名台灣人穆啟松和張昊雲在德里的泰姬宮酒店（Taj Palace Hotel）被捕，而另外兩名台灣人王俊威和沈威則在班加羅爾（Bangalore）被逮捕。

印度警方還發現，台灣籍嫌犯還對詐騙集團提供技術支援，包含開發一款用於轉移資金的手機應用程式，該應用程式還整合電子錢包，方便將詐騙所得轉入其他銀行帳戶或杜拜的加密貨幣帳戶，最後通過地下匯款方式獲取佣金。

艾哈邁達巴德網絡犯罪警察局副局長辛格哈爾（Sharad Singhal）表示，根據目前調查結果，這個詐騙集團可能已經針對約1000名受害者進行詐騙。

在這次的逮捕行動中，印度警方查獲現金12.75萬盧比、761張SIM卡、120部手機、96本支票簿、92張借記卡和信用卡，以及42本與租賃的銀行存摺。

警方還逮捕主嫌之一的海德（Saif Haider），他與穆啟松有直接聯繫。警方表示，穆啟松負責提供手機、路由器等設備，並從台灣帶來必要的裝置來安裝這些設備。

警方也發現，穆啟松曾前往柬埔寨、杜拜、中國以及班加羅爾、德里和孟買等印度多個城市。最近一次訪印期間，穆啟松和張昊雲計劃擴大業務範圍，從印度代理人那邊大量收集租賃帳戶，用於非法博彩網站和網絡詐騙活動，沒想到還沒完成就遭到警方逮捕。

I thought it was a scam call until I didn’t: Journalist’s digital arrest ordeal
A journalist received a call from a courier company claiming her Aadhaar number was linked to a parcel containing drugs. What followed was an hours-long ordeal that made the journalist feel as though she was being held digitally hostage by scammers.

The Aaj Tak journalist narrated her ordeal, alerting others so that they do not fall in traps set by cyber fraudsters. (AI generated image)

This is a first-person account by Richa Mishra, a Senior Assistant Editor at AajTak.in, India Today’s sister channel.

Saturday, October 5. It was 12.15 pm when I received a call from an unknown number (+00918380889795). The voice on the other end was a recorded message: “This call is from FedEx Courier Company. Press 1 for details of your courier. Press 2 for tracking updates”.

Hearing the word “courier” surprised me a bit, but I thought perhaps it was related to a parcel from the office or an Amazon order I had placed a few days ago. Thinking this, I pressed 1. That was my first mistake, and from then on, one mistake followed another. By the time I realised what was happening, I had endured hours of fear, trauma, and mental torture. Despite knowing all about cyber fraud, I had been digitally trapped.

The trouble began with pressing that number. As soon as I did, a voice said, “I am Karan Verma from FedEx Courier Company. How can I help you?” I replied, “Sir, I got a call. I haven’t sent any courier, but if someone has sent one to me, please tell me the details.”

Karan Verma put me on hold. After a while, he returned, saying, “Ma’am, you have sent the courier. You are the sender.”

Angry, I said, “I haven’t sent any courier. Stop making fake calls.”

He then said, “Ma’am, your courier has been seized at Mumbai airport.”

I laughed and replied, “Sir, tell this to someone else. I didn’t send a courier, so why would it be seized?”

In a more serious tone, he said, “Your courier was being sent from Mumbai to Taiwan. Suspicious items were found, which is why it was seized. Your Aadhaar card is linked to this; this call was made after verification. I can understand you might not have sent it, but it seems like your Aadhaar card has been misused. You should file a complaint. FedEx will also need to send this complaint to the Mumbai Police.”

His tone was so serious that I started believing something was wrong. I asked him, “What should I do?” He replied, “Your entire call is being recorded. After the beep, you have to say that you have nothing to do with the courier. We will send this recording to the Mumbai Police.”

I repeated what I was told: “I have nothing to do with any FedEx courier. Mumbai Police, please help me. My Aadhaar card has been misused.”

I thought it was over, but then Karan Verma dropped another bombshell: “You also need to speak with the Mumbai Police. We need a clarification note.”

Now, I was annoyed. “Sir, I don’t know anything about this courier. I did what you asked. Can I go now?”

But Karan Verma insisted, “Ma’am, this is important for your future. The clarification is crucial regarding the contents of the courier.”

For the first time, I felt a chill. I asked, “What’s in the courier?”

At that moment, he sensed my fear, and that’s when I was digitally trapped. The mental torture that followed would last for hours. Even as I sit in my office, writing this account, I still fear my ID may have been misused.

Karan Verma said, “Madam, I am transferring your call to the Mumbai Police. You can file your complaint with them. Please write down the details of the courier.”

I started writing…

Details of the item:

Department: FedEx Courier Company
Customer care: Karan Verma
Receiver: Zhang Lin
Mobile number: +8862737889
Receiver address: House No. 112/3, Sanbei Road, Taipei City, Datong District, Taiwan, 104001
Parcel tracking ID: 728932129197
Parcel contents: 5 passports, 3 bank credit cards, 4 kg of cloth, 1 HP laptop, 200 grams of MDMA
ICICI bank credit card last digits: 1551
Payment: Rs 16,754

While writing the details, I said, “This isn’t my credit card, nor do I know anyone in Taiwan. And what is MDMA?”

His answer left me shaken: “That’s drugs, ma’am. That’s why we contacted you. Your Aadhaar card may have fallen into the wrong hands.”

Hearing the word “drugs” shocked me. The conversation was so smooth that I felt it was necessary to file a complaint, just like when you report a stolen car. I said, “Please transfer the call. I will speak to the Mumbai Police.”

As Karan Verma transferred the call, he added, “After filing the complaint, please get a clarification note from the Mumbai Police. Otherwise, this issue will trouble you in the future.” His professional tone reassured me, and I waited for the transfer.

On the other side, the background noise changed—chaotic, like a police control room. A deep voice said, “I am Vinay Kumar Chaudhary from the Mumbai Police. Tell me, why did you call?” I explained the FedEx call to him. He assured me of help, much like Karan Verma did. He asked for my name and Aadhaar number. After putting me on hold for a bit, the tone changed, and I was interrogated as if I had committed a crime.

“You sent this courier. Are you involved in drug trafficking?”

“Which drugs? I don’t know anything about a courier. I don’t even live in Mumbai. Why would I send it?”

“Who will believe you? The name and Aadhaar are yours. If you are innocent, you will have to file a complaint.”

“That’s why I’m talking to you. FedEx told me they need a clarification note.”

“Okay, come to the Mumbai office.”

“Sir, I’m in Delhi. I can’t come to Mumbai.”

“Then file a complaint via an online video call. It will be recorded. Come on Skype.”

“I don’t have Skype. Can we use Zoom?”

“No. Download Skype immediately.”

The tone was commanding, like an officer giving orders. Fearfully, I assumed the situation was serious. I downloaded Skype while the call continued. Then a strange question was asked.

“Are you using Wi-Fi or data?”

“Wi-Fi.”

“Okay, turn off your data and put your phone on flight mode. If anyone interrupts the call, action will be taken against you.”

Scared, I agreed. “Okay, sir, I’ll take care.”

“Where are you? Home or office?”

“At home.”

“Who’s there with you? How many people?”

“No one’s home.”

The entire house was inspected on video call—doors closed, curtains drawn. Even my phone was put on charge as instructed. There was no time to think or question anything. I followed every command like a robot.

After the inspection, I was asked to click on “Mumbai 911” for a search. A man in a blue uniform appeared on camera—Vinay Kumar Chaudhary. He said, “You were talking to me on the phone. Now your statement will be recorded.” I was ready. He asked me to recount the entire incident and list the items. When I mentioned the 200 grams of MDMA, he snapped at me: “Do you know what that is? You were sending drugs.”

I insisted, “Sir, I didn’t send anything. I only just found out these are drugs.”

He shouted, “You’re lying. We are checking your Aadhaar across departments. The report will come soon, and we’ll know what you’ve done.” The camera suddenly switched off. I asked why, and a voice replied, “Serious information has come up about you. I need to take this to my superior. Stay on the line, and don’t move. Every 10 seconds, you must say, ‘I am here, sir’.”

Two minutes later, a new voice came on the line: “There’s a money laundering case against you. You embezzled Rs 2 crore with Panjapati Syed.”

I was asked for my bank details, how much cash and gold I had at home. When I couldn’t provide much, the voice grew angrier. Documents with four people’s faces, including two arrests, were sent to me on Skype. An arrest warrant was issued in my name too.

FAKE ARREST PAPERS

I was on the phone with the ‘Mumbai Police’, who accused me not only of drug smuggling but also of money laundering. On a Saturday afternoon, I had suddenly gone from a journalist to a criminal.

I was interrogated the same way. I had a bank account at the Bank of Baroda, and they gave me a detailed list of supposed financial manipulations. I was crying, but there was no mercy. The crime was too serious. One charge followed another, each accompanied by “evidence”.

Then the tone softened, as if I was being given a chance to defend myself. “Cooperate with the police, and the investigation will take seven days. You must have given your Aadhaar to someone in a café, and that’s how it got misused. Do you suspect anyone? Have you had any altercations?”

I denied everything.

They said from that side that this is a massive scam, worth crores. Two people have been arrested in this case, and your name is involved. If you cooperate with the investigation, you may get some relief. They also said your family is in danger. The scammers have been keeping an eye on your family. We have information about your house and office. If you disclose any details of this investigation to anyone, you will be jailed for two years. If the drug case is confirmed, you face 15 years in prison.

With the stern police tone in the background, amid the noise of the control room, everything seemed so real that even if you were innocent, you’d believe you were a drug smuggler. I was convinced that after this, no weekend would bring me peace, shopping, good food, or fresh air.

On the phone, you’re given a format: your name, location, what you’re doing, how much money you’ve spent. All your accounts are frozen. You can’t spend any money, nor can any be withdrawn. We know your every move. (What shocked me most was that they knew my office timings—they had my exact schedule. This convinced me everything was true).

After this 1-hour 30-minutes video call, I was told to hang up.

I put down the phone like a robot. The call ended, but I couldn’t make sense of anything. It felt like a mental jammer was blocking all my thoughts. Somehow, I realised that since I was on the verge of losing everything, I should at least tell someone. I thought of calling a relative. Then I remembered that my calls might be traced.

With the doors and windows closed, I carefully wrote down the entire incident and told one of my relatives over a video call. He was shocked and immediately called me on WhatsApp. He told me it was all fake — a trap. But my mind refused to believe it. On his advice, I called the cybercrime unit, where I was instructed to submit a written report. Even after trying through the website, I couldn’t register my complaint.

Next, I called a senior colleague from my office. He also said this was a widespread issue, happening to many people.

“It’s a scam. Don’t be afraid,” he reassured me.

But I was still stuck in the fear-filled trance. I told him everything was true and only called to make sure my situation didn’t cause problems for the office. But as he kept explaining, sharing similar cases of courier scams involving fake police and judges, I realised I was indeed caught in a trap. He urged me to file a cybercrime complaint.

When I called 112, the police arrived quickly. They, too, confirmed it was a scam and advised reporting it to cybercrime or visiting a police station.

The entire day passed in fear. Sunday, October 6th. Around noon, I received the same call (08380726430). This time, they sent a clarification note, claiming to be from Mumbai Police.

“This is Karan Verma from FedEx Courier,” the caller said. But now, I was prepared, and the conversation didn’t go any further.

As I write this now, I realise how dangerous this mental torture was. Reading about such scams, you wonder how people fall into these traps. But I don’t know what happened to me that afternoon. I, who had always warned others about such frauds, was mentally tortured for hours. The feeling of being digitally arrested and the fear still linger. Be alert. These scammers prey on your fear, making you lose your ability to think clearly. I’m writing this to warn others to stay vigilant.

In a statement, FedEx said, “FedEx does not request personal information through unsolicited phone calls, mail, or email for goods being shipped or held, unless requested or initiated by customers. If any individual receives any suspicious phone calls or messages, they are advised not to provide their personal information. Instead, they should immediately contact the local law enforcement authorities within the vicinity or report to the cybercrime department of the Government of India.”

—

我以为这是诈骗电话，后来才知道不是：记者被网络逮捕的痛苦经历
一名记者接到一家快递公司的电话，声称她的 Aadhaar 号码与一个装有毒品的包裹有关。接下来的几个小时里，这位记者经历了一场折磨，感觉自己就像被骗子绑架了一样。

Aaj Tak 记者讲述了自己的遭遇，提醒其他人不要落入网络诈骗分子设置的陷阱。
这是印度今日姊妹频道 AajTak.in 的高级助理编辑 Richa Mishra 的第一人称叙述。