Fake courier service: How a gang duped thousands and also sold data to other cyber criminals
Sourav Kumar (28), was arrested in Nalanda, Bihar, according to a Times of India report.
The gang had set up multiple fake websites and also sold data to other cyber criminals. The investigation revealed that Sourav Kumar, the mastermind, would create counterfeit websites of well-known courier companies and promote them as sponsored advertisements in search engines.
He would then gather data, including names and mobile numbers, of approximately 300 customers per day and sell the information to his associates.
Explaining the modus operandi, Manoj Meena, DCP (north), said, «The co-accused would contact potential victims, posing as courier agents, and request online payments of Rs 5 or 10 under the guise of excess weight of the consignment. Through a payment link, they would extract confidential information from the victims and subsequently defraud them.»
One victim, a 35-year-old advocate, reported a case to the Cyber police station in North district.
She had received a call regarding a courier delivery and was deceived after clicking on a link. Her phone was hacked, and a sum of Rs 97,970 was deducted from her bank account using a UPI application.
Technical investigations traced the operation of the fake websites to Nalanda and Nawada in Bihar.
After an intense five-day search, Sourav Kumar was apprehended.
Police have also apprehended another group of fraudsters, who disguised themselves as global distributors of TMT bars. They have been taken into custody for duping more than 100 Delhi-based businessmen.
