Fraudsters create Facebook profiles in Karnataka cops’ names, seek money

BENGALURU: In times of pandemic, cybercriminals are resorting to a novel way to con gullible persons: They create fake profiles in the name of state police officers and beseech their friends and relatives with requests for financial help.
At least four instances where fake Facebook accounts were created in the name of police officers to siphon off money have been reported in Karnataka recently. In one of the cases, Raichur district’s Sindhanur Rural sub-inspector Raghavendra’s account was impersonated and messages were sent from it to his friends and relatives to deposit money in e-wallets, claiming he’s in acute financial crisis.

Raghavendra said: “My friends and family members received a message to transfer money in my name from a different Facebook account stating I was in deep financial trouble. However, my friends knew I’d never ask money from anyone. They called me to crosscheck and I was taken aback. I immediately alerted others about this scam.” Raghavendra filed a complaint with the district CEN police lastw eek.
Sindhanur DySP Vishwanath Kulkarni said a case has been registered with Raichur CEN police station and probe is under way.
Similar incidents have been reported from Ballari and Uttara Kannada districts as well. A fake Facebook account was created in the name of Revannasiddappa Jeeramkalgi, sub-inspector of Karwar Rural police station, and messages were sent from it to his multiple friends, requesting money. One of the friends, without crosschecking, sent Rs 7,000 to the account mentioned in the message.
According to CEN police of Karwar, the account to which money has been credited is based out of Jaipur city in Rajasthan.
In Ballari, Cowl Bazaar police inspector Subhash Chandra’s Facebook account was impersonated and requests to send money were made through it.
“In all these cases, the accused sent messages in English or Hindi, but were unable to read Kannada. They would ask to transfer money to e-wallets or e-banks such as Google Pay, Phone Pe or Paytm. Previously, faking of accounts was rampant on online marketplaces such as Olx and Quicker. In most cases, they impersonated Army personnel. This is the first time that accounts of state police officers are being impersonated for financial gain,” an investigating official said.