Banks Warning on Courier Scam

Banks are warning people about a new cyber fraud called the courier scam. In this scam, fraudsters pose as customs officials or courier service representatives and contact victims via phone or email. They claim to have intercepted a parcel containing illegal substances or banned items and threaten to arrest the victim unless they pay a fine.

Let’s understand how the Courier scam works :

The fraudsters will typically ask the victim to confirm their personal information, such as their address, phone number, and email address. They may also ask for the victim's bank account details. Once they have this information, the fraudsters will use it to steal the victim's identity or money.

There is a widespread of courier scam involving perpetrators making phone calls, claiming to be police officers who intercepted parcels containing contraband items. The fraudsters tricked the victim into transferring large sums of money to allegedly clear their names of drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

Banks in Chennai are warning clients about a rise in 'courier scams' after at least 30 people fell victim to the fraud in the past month. Scammers posing as customs officials contact targets over the phone and claim to have intercepted a parcel containing illegal substances.

Recently, a 66-year-old senior citizen in Bengaluru has become the latest victim of the notorious courier scam, losing a staggering Rs 1.52 crore to fraudsters who posed as law enforcement officials.

They would then impersonate an official from the Mumbai police station to talk to them about possible arrest and instruct victims to transfer money to avoid arrest.

Narrating her personal experience, the daughter of a Madras high court employee said: “I received a call and the person claimed to be a customs official from Mumbai. He sounded authoritative and mentioned a parcel that contained drugs.”

The man threatened her and demanded that she transfer ₹30,000 to settle the issue. Once she obliged, the man managed to access her bank account and took away `19 lakh.

A cybercrime official said that during the conversation, the conman might have diverted the one-time password (OTP) to his number.

Moreover, officials of nationalised banks and police said scammers use various other techniques such as courier interception scams, romance scams, friend-online frauds, sextortion via video calls and online job or work- from-home scams, besides contracts to like and share YouTube clips.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA