Indian fraudsters scale up schemes targeting elderly victims

Indian fraudsters have now increased their activities by targeting retirees using different fake crypto trading applications. According to authorities, the scammers now see them as the prime age bracket, noting that they were targeted because of their age and limited knowledge of how cryptocurrencies worked.

According to reports, the elderly population is always enticed with the opportunity to make profits, which the scammers always present in easy ways. The scammers then take advantage of their desperation and gullibility to extract funds from them until they can no longer come up with the payments.

In most cases, the elderly victim realizes they have been scammed after the fraudsters cut communication and take the application where they monitor their earnings offline.

Indian fraudsters target elderly victims in fake crypto trading schemes

According to the Indian police, one of its first cases this year involved a 64-year-old retired banker from Secunderabad. The retired banker claimed that he lost more than Rs. 1.25 crore ($137,000) to fraudsters who operated a bogus crypto trading scheme using a trading platform called “Capstone.”

Authorities claimed that the fraud was carried out between December 29 and January 12, and was only discovered after the scammers went offline with the victim’s funds.

According to the retired Indian elder, he received an invitation to join a group called ‘Team B Club Internship Group 39’ on WhatsApp.

In the group, members shared several screenshots showing purported gains from their investments on the platform. Some claimed it was from trading crypto, others said it was from institutional IPO trades. The retired banker claimed he was asked to download the Capstone app using a link shared from a United States phone number.

After downloading the app and setting it up, the Indian police claimed that the elderly victim made about 15 transfers from three personal accounts to about 11 bank accounts provided by the scammer. He claimed that the payments were made to enable him to make more profits from his investments.

The in-app dashboard showed his balance rose to Rs. 1.9 crore, but at every attempt to withdraw, he was blocked. He claimed the fraudsters asked him to pay another Rs. 58.58 lakh as clearing charges.

The Indian police said that after protracted negotiations with the scammers to help him withdraw his funds, he realized he had been scammed and reported the case to the police. Police said they registered the case on January 14, highlighting that by the next day, the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Cyber Crime Police station claimed that they had received more than three similar complaints involving a combined loss of more than Rs. 1.2 crore.

Police urge citizens to seek help from professionals

In another similar case, the Indian police claimed that a 68-year-old retired employee from Manikonda alleged that scammers posing as analysts of a stock brokerage company scammed him of over Rs. 50.8 lakh.

He claimed that they lured him into a WhatsApp investment group, and he was asked to register on a platform. The victim also downloaded an application where he tracked his earnings, but by the time he wanted to withdraw, the scammers ran with his funds.

In the third case, police mentioned that a 76-year-old retired employee from Secunderabad claimed to have lost Rs. 46.25 lakh to fraudsters posing as stock market trading experts. He said they advised him to invest in IPO trades between December and January. After several investments, the scammers stole the funds.

Another case saw a 45-year-old retired employee lose Rs. 32.1 lakh to fraudsters who claimed he could invest in US stocks using their applications.

All four incidents have been formally registered, the Indian police claimed. They have also warned the elderly populace to desist from investing in opportunities that are too good to be true. They urged them to involve someone younger with practical experience in the crypto industry if they chose to invest in the assets. The police have also urged the populace to seek professional help when entering the crypto industry, as it would guard them against falling into the wrong hands.

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