Congratulations your mobile has won you 900,000 GBP from BBC Promo, UK". "Your mobile No. has won a lottery of Rs25 lakhs". These two are among the numerous messages innocent mobile users have been receiving in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana as the gangs of smart and hitech cheaters were coming up with novel ideas to take the unsuspecting victims for a ride and extort lakhs of rupees from them.
In a latest such incident, Yadaiah, a resident of Shadnagar town of Mehbubnagar district has lost Rs1.20 lakh. According to the police Yadaiah received a message on his mobile that his mobile number had won a lottery of Rs25 lakhs and asked a mobile No. to find out the method of collecting the lottery. He was also offered an option to receive the cash or a luxury car of the same value.
Yadaih, who works as a welder, got carried away and contacted the given number. The person at the other end identified himself as Vinod Kumar and started trapping an unsuspecting Yadaiah. The scamster told Yadaiah that to receive the lottery prize money first he would have to deposit some money in an account of Bank of Baroda. Over a series of such phone calls Yadaiah was made to deposit Rs120,200 in different bank accounts.
Yadaiah was shocked when he received another call from Vinod Kumar demanding another payment of Rs1.35 lakh. "Not only that he also threatened me that if I donot pay the demanded he money he will lodge a police complaint against me", said Yadaiah. Realising that he had fallen victim to a cheater, Yadaiah approached police and the authorities of Bank of Baroda for help.
Cyber Crime unit of Hyderabad City Police has also received several complaints of such online cheating. In one case a youth in mid 20s paid a whopping Rs3 lakhs in various accounts in the hope of receiving lottery prize money.