Two senior citizens lose 56.6L in cyber frauds

Kolkata: Cybercrime syndicates targeted the city's senior citizens over the week, collectively swindling them of over Rs 56.6 lakh in two separate incidents of investment and pension fraud, police said on Tuesday.In the first incident, a 65-year-old resident of Anandapur was duped of Rs 54 lakh after being lured into a fraudulent stock trading scheme. Cops said the victim was added to a "VIP WhatsApp group" managed by scammers posing as executives of a private securities firm. Promising high returns, the fraudsters convinced the victim to download a fake trading app. Between May 14 and June 2, the victim made several money transfers. The alarm was raised on June 2 when the senior citizen tried to withdraw his funds. The accused reportedly "blocked" the request, demanding an upfront "service charge" of Rs 35 lakh. Realising he had been trapped, the victim approached the East Division cyber cell. Anandapur police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS, including criminal conspiracy and cheating.In another case, a senior citizen from Behala Parnasree fell prey to a pension scam on June 5, and lost Rs 2.6 lakh. The victim dialled a helpline number found online to resolve an issue regarding his pension scheme. Shortly after, a fraudster called him back, posing as an EPFO officer. Under the guise of technical assistance, the crook asked the victim to alter his phone settings. This allowed him to hack the device. Within hours, unauthorized withdrawals of Rs 2.6 lakh were made from the victim's accounts. Following a formal complaint, Parnasree police initiated a probe.