PRAYAGRAJ: After questioning two arrested cybercriminals, Prayagraj police on Saturday revealed that the fraudsters had been buying details of banking customers, including mobile numbers, from databases obtained from insurance companies and dealerships.
The fraudsters arrested on Friday had duped more than six people on the pretext of investing in cryptocurrencies and digital arrests. ₹1.5 million rupees.
These cybercriminals first used bank customer databases to gain the trust of their victims before committing fraud, and often had access to data leaks from companies to identify their targets. According to the cyber police, the fraudsters made random calls to potential victims under various pretexts to scam them.
It is worth noting that in cases of “digital arrests” and scams involving cryptocurrencies and online stock trading, scammers have specifically targeted people with large amounts of money in their bank accounts.
A police official said they could not rule out the involvement of bank officials at some level in providing data of customers with large bank balances to cybercriminals, which were then used to identify targets and commit fraud under various pretexts, including digital arrests, he added.
He further said that investigations so far have revealed that insurance agents, sales agents and people in similar roles have been selling customer databases, often in PDF format, for thousands of rupees.
Alamgir, a police inspector at the Cyber Police Station, said organised gangs of cyber fraudsters comb through these databases and target bank customers based on their bank balances and transaction history.
“Cyber fraudsters also collect personal information of their target customers through their social media accounts and other sources. They then send links or make calls to lure them on various pretexts,” he said.
“Bank customers are also added to various Telegram and WhatsApp groups to ensnare them with similar allurements,” he added.
