Part 2 of No single golden hour

I transferred Rs 2,000 to the scammer after they hacked my call-log app and threatened to leak names from it. When they demanded more, I went to the police. They warned me that paying again would only encourage them, so I haven’t sent a rupee since.

— Samir Shaikh (name changed)

2. “He posed as a cop. I believed him.”

“A man called me via WhatsApp, claiming to be from Colaba Police Station. He said I was under CBI watch and even sent a fake letter with a CBI logo. He pressured me to transfer my funds to ‘government-monitored’ accounts. His confidence and threats scared me. I complied.”

— Ankita Deshpande (name changed)

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Criminal speaks

"I hacked Facebook account to ask for money"

“I used to hack Facebook and WhatsApp accounts, then message the victim’s friends pretending to be them. I would request Rs 2,000, saying I was in urgent need and would return it later. The money was transferred to multiple accounts I had set up for forgery. Eventually, the police tracked me refund to the victim. I regret my actions and have decided never to engage in such scams again.”

— Accused (name withheld)

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Major cyber fraud incidents

1. February 5 – A city-based consultant was duped of Rs 42 lakh in a cyber investment scam. The case has been transferred to MIDC Cidco Police for further investigation.

2. May 14 – A retired government officer lost Rs 30.40 lakh in a ‘digital arrest’ scam. The Cidco Police registered a case.

3. May 16 – Rural cyber police reported a collective recovery of Rs 16.94 lakh from multiple online fraud cases reported since the beginning of the year.