PRAYAGRAJ: Despite repeated awareness drives, advertisements, and constant social media warnings, cyber criminals continue to trap even educated individuals in Prayagraj through their clever and fear-inducing tricks. Recent incidents show how people — including schoolteachers and professionals — are falling prey to scams that could have been avoided with a little presence of mind.
The disturbing trend highlights that fear, greed, and misplaced trust in technology are being exploited mercilessly by fraudsters.
In one shocking case, Ramchandra, a teacher from the Katra area in the city, was duped of ₹7.32 lakhs using the notorious “digital arrest” method. The criminals, posing as Delhi Police officials, threatened him via social media by claiming that an obscene video of him had been uploaded.
To lend credibility, they even mentioned that a case had been registered in New Delhi’s Mandawali Fazalpur office. Under constant pressure that he would lose his job and be jailed if the video wasn’t deleted, the terrified teacher transferred ₹7,32,500 in three instalments.
This is despite repeated public advisories that no police officer from another state or city directly calls up an individual to threaten them — it is always the local police that handles such matters. Yet, the fear tactic worked.
Another case involved teacher Rajshekhar Shukla of Alopibagh, who became the victim of an elaborate online trading scam.
Approximately 40 days, fraudsters contacted him via WhatsApp, posing as certified stockbrokers. They showed him a fake SEBI registration certificate and persuaded him to invest ₹26.45 lakhs through a trading app.
Only later did he discover that the app was completely bogus and all his money had vanished. Despite SEBI and RBI issuing multiple advertisements warning people not to trust such offers, educated victims continue to fall prey.
Likewise, Avnish Kumar Srivastava of Lukarganj was misled by a simple WhatsApp message. A fraudster named Sanju promised to double his money within a month, a claim that should immediately have raised suspicion.
On June 9, through the contact of a woman named Saba, he deposited ₹2.69 lakhs online, only to realize too late that it was a scam.
In another alarming case, Ehtesamuddin Siddiqui of Jamirnagar, Kareli, lost ₹22.77 lakhs while trying to contact a doctor he had searched on Google.
The number turned out to be fake, and the criminals tricked him into paying advance fees. Shockingly, in ten separate transactions, not even a single OTP or confirmation message was generated, which points towards a high-level manipulation of banking systems by the fraudsters.
These cases underline a harsh truth: fraudsters are not just targeting the gullible, but also the educated. Fear of social shame, greed for easy profits, or blind trust in apparent officialdom is causing victims to abandon common sense.
It has been repeatedly made viral through videos, advisories, and media campaigns that one should never panic or respond to such threatening calls. In cases of alleged crime or fraud, it is always the local police who investigate and contact you, not officers from outside the district pretending to be DSPs or SEBI officials.
Cyber Station House Officer Anil Kumar Verma has confirmed that FIRs have been registered in all these cases, and investigations are ongoing. Bank accounts where the money was siphoned are under scrutiny, and authorities continue to appeal to the public to remain alert.
The lesson is clear: vigilance, presence of mind, and refusing to act under fear or greed are the only shields against cybercrime.
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