A cyber fraudster impersonated Raigad SP on WhatsApp, targeting police personnel for money transfers, but the scam attempt was foiled. (AI-generated image)
Immediately transfer Rs 50,000 to my bank account.
” PSI Murkute added, “One police officer had received a WhatsApp message from the same international number asking to transfer Rs 2,000 by impersonating SP madam and claiming that it was required for filling diesel in the car, and that her mobile battery had drained and she was unable to pay online at the fuel station. API Amol Jadhav of Raigad Cyber Police said, “The cyber scammers use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to mask their identity. NAVI MUMBAI: Raigad Cyber Police have registered a case against an unidentified fraudster who allegedly used the WhatsApp Display Picture (DP) of Raigad Superintendent of Police (SP) Anchal Dalal to deceive several police personnel into transferring money. Thereafter, PSI Murkute learnt that the same scammer had sent similar messages to several Raigad police personnel. Fortunately, no one fell prey to the fraud, as the police personnel were aware of this modus operandi used by cyber fraudsters. The message read, ‘I am in a meeting and my mobile is switched off. I knew the message sender was a scammer. I deliberately replied asking for the bank account number by pretending to send the money. As I received the bank account number from the scammer, it will be useful for the cyber police team to trace the bank account holder. However, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the WhatsApp number used by the accused will be obtained to trace the location, and the accused will soon be behind bars.”