Online fraudsters have not spared even top police officers in the State and have tried to cheat people in their friends’ list.
More than 20 police officers have reported to the cyber crime units across the State about being the target of online fraud.
Conmen created fictitious Facebook accounts in the names of City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Additional Commissioner of Police R. Dhinakaran, a handful of police officers in the rank of Additional Director General of Police and Assistant Commissioners. The fraudsters then sought money from the people in their friends list, citing emergencies.
A senior police officer in the Central Crime Branch told The Hindu , “Following complaints from eight police officers with the cyber crime police in the city, we have taken up investigation. We have zeroed in on the gang operating from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. We will arrest and bring them here very soon.”
Explaining the modus operandi of the fraudsters, a police officer said they copied photos from the original Facebook accounts and then created fake ones. They then contacted the acquaintances of the original account holder through private messaging and requested money. They targeted police officers and others too, said the officer.
‘No victims so far’
The police officer said nobody had fallen victim to the scam. As soon as they received calls from those who had received the messages, the police personnel reported them to the cyber crime cells. The fake accounts were then deactivated.
“Once the account is reported to Facebook, deactivation happens immediately,” a senior police officer said.
