MUMBAI: Three men were arrested from Jalandhar in a mobile SIM swap fraud where a travel company from Goregaon was defrauded of Rs 26 lakh. While investigators blocked a large portion of the amount transferred by the company, the accused flew down from Punjab to Mumbai and withdrew the balance, converting it into gold.
Protect yourself and stay alert
In a SIM swap fraud, a scammer gets the victim’s SIM card deactivated and obtains a replacement SIM (in the victim’s name) from the telecom service provider. This way, the scammer can access all calls and texts, including banking OTPs, meant for the victim.The travel company is a family-run business. On July 20, the mobile number linked to their bank account stopped working. The accountant approached the service provider and was asked to send an email as the SIM had been issued under a corporate plan. He did so and was told that a new SIM would be activated within four hours. But nothing happened. Smelling a rat, the management asked the accountant to check the company’s bank balance the next day. Fraudulent transfers upto Rs 25.6 lakh were observed. An FIR was registered by North Cyber Police.A team led by DCP Bajrang Bansode and comprising senior inspector Pramod Kamble, inspector Sunil Lokhande and assistant inspector Rahul Khetre examined the money trail. Two men from Jalandhar, Ricky Gill (32), and Daljeet Singh (26), were the beneficiaries of the amount transferred. Cybercrime helpline ‘1930’ was able to block Rs 18 lakh. Of the balance Rs 7.5 lakh, some was withdrawn in cash while most was converted into gold by the accused. Police said Daljeet flew from Punjab to Mumbai to make the cash withdrawal here while another accused, Gurukamal Singh, gave purchase orders and collected delivery of the gold. Gurukamal was also arrested.Officials said that the fraud could have been prevented had the travel company’s staff been vigilant. “Before processing SIM deactivation, the telecom provider sends a text to the SIM user to inform him. In this incident, the text was not seen by anyone from the travel company’s staff,” said a police officer.
