Bengaluru woman made to strip on camera in FedEx scam
A Bengaluru lawyer became a victim of a cyber scam— known as the "FedEx scam"—wherein individuals posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers duped her into transferring ₹15 lakh. The Times of India reported that the woman was also coerced into stripping in front of a webcam and subsequently threatened by the fraudsters. Authorities have filed a case under the Information Technology Act, charging the perpetrators with extortion and cheating.
How the scamsters fooled the woman
As per the report, on April 3, the woman received a call from a person claiming to be an official from the Mumbai police department. The caller asserted that 140 grams of narcotic drugs, originating from Thailand via FedEx, were addressed to her. Subsequently, another man, claiming to be a "higher official" from the CBI took over the call, saying that trafficking and money laundering cases have been registered against her.
₹10.7 lakh transferred to verify previous transactions
The "official" made her take an oath not to inform anyone about the case due to the "involvement of influential figures" and asked her to cooperate in the investigation. Under their guidance, she switched on her webcam and shared her screen for a period of over 36 hours. They made her disrobe on camera for a "narcotics test." She was also made to transfer ₹10.7 lakh to verify previous transactions, followed by another ₹4 lakh using her credit card.
Fraudsters threatened to sell her video online
After she made all the transactions, the fraudsters then demanded another ₹10 lakh and threatened to sell her nude clips on the dark web. She then disconnected the call and reached out to the police. According to The Times of India, a case has been registered under the Information Technology Act, extortion and cheating, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
What is the FedEx scam?
Bengaluru police have been grappling with a surge in cybercrimes related to fraudulent "FedEx" packages for several months. The scam typically involves perpetrators contacting victims, alleging that a package addressed to them contains illegal substances, implicating them in money laundering and terrorism. As of November this year, Bengaluru has reported 111 such cases. Notably, the American cargo company, FedEx, is not associated with these fraudulent activities.
FedEx issues statement on counterfeit scam
FedEx has clarified its stance on such incidents, stating that it does not solicit personal information from customers through unsolicited phone calls, mail, or email regarding shipped or held goods unless initiated by the customers themselves. "If any individual receives any suspicious phone calls or messages, they are advised not to provide their personal information. Instead, they should immediately contact local law enforcement authorities or report to the cybercrime department of the government of India," FedEx advised in its statement.
