Hyderabad: Cybercriminals masquerading as Supreme Court judge created a fake court setup and extorted Rs 1.5 crore from a retired chief engineer from Vanasthalipuram.
The cybercriminals contacted the retired engineer, falsely informing him that his name had appeared in a case currently under investigation by the Supreme Court. Claiming that the justice was personally overseeing the matter, the scammers instilled fear by warning of an impending arrest.
To add credibility, the fraudsters conducted video calls posing as the judge, instructing the engineer to deposit a large sum of money into a supposed Supreme Court account to resolve the case. Assured that the money would be refunded after the case closure, the engineer transferred Rs. 1.5 crore.
When the funds were not returned, the victim approached the Rachakonda Cyber Crime Police, who had registered a case and initiated an investigation.
Authorities warn the public to be cautious of such scams, urging verification of any legal claims through official channels and not to fall prey to intimidation tactics via calls or video conferencing.
