Amresh Parab
Panaji
Despite high awareness efforts, cyber fraud remains a significant challenge in Goa even as three more individuals have been cheated together to the tune of over Rs 43 lakh, adding to the list of gullible victims.
Online search for bank support to resolve functional issues related to Google Pay and debit card proved costly for a 70-year-old woman from Carambolim, Tiswadi, who lost over Rs 30 lakh, while a 37-year-old working woman from Panaji lost over Rs 6 lakh to an online matrimony scam and in a third case, a 37-year-old man from Mormugao, South Goa, was defrauded of over Rs 5 lakh in an online investment scam.
The three cases have been registered at the cyber crime police station at Ribandar and are under investigation, police said.
According to police, online frauds wherein the defrauded fund amount is below Rs 5 lakh are registered at local police stations, while frauds involving amounts over Rs 5 lakh are registered at the cyber crime police station.
Elaborating on the first cyber fraud, police said the 70-year-old woman from Carambolim did an online search for bank support over issues with her GPay app and debit card (of a nationalised bank) following which an accused contacted her through a mobile phone number impersonating as a nationalised bank customer care representative.
The accused induced the complainant to send an SMS ‘PORT – her mobile number’ following which her mobile phone got compromised/hacked, police said referring to the complaint.
By misusing the mobile phone number and the banking credentials linked to it, the accused gained unauthorised access to the complainant’s bank accounts and fraudulently transferred Rs 30,98,342 from her accounts to multiple beneficiary accounts between February 13 and February 27.
Based on the complaint, the cyber crime police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on March 6 against unknown accused persons and are further investigating the case.
A police officer said that looking out for GPay- or bank-related support on internet often leads one to scam numbers, resulting in fraudulent support calls asking for UPI, PINs or installing remote access apps. One needs to use only the in-app help, official websites or the toll-free numbers. “If you are scammed, then immediately call national cybercrime helpline number 1930,” police said.
Referring to the matrimonial scam, police said that accused contacted the 37-year-old woman from Panaji through a matrimonial mobile application ‘Nikah Forever’ and introduced himself as a Swedish national. The accused gained the complainant’s trust on the pretext of a marriage proposal.
Thereafter, the accused communicated with the complainant through WhatsApp and told her that he would visit Goa on Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2026) and shared his flight booking details.
The accused subsequently faked a scene and dishonestly induced the complainant to transfer money on various false pretexts such as customs penalty for carrying jewellery worth Rs 30 lakh, legal fees for securing release from customs’ custody, customs duty charges and approval fees to prevent blacklisting of passport. The accused also sought money transfer towards hotel booking, flight ticket expenses etc.
Believing the narrative to be true, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 6,88,000 between February 10 and February 16 through digital modes to various bank accounts as directed by the accused.
A man residing in Mormugao and a native of Andhra Pradesh lost Rs 5,62,998 to an online trading scam.
According to police, unknown accused persons contacted the complainant through WhatsApp by impersonating as representatives of ‘Ashmore India LLP’ and operating WhatsApp groups titled ‘Ashmore VIP Group D201’ and ‘Ashmore Group D102’.
The accused induced the complainant to invest in IPO (initial public offering) subscriptions through a website https://ashmore-vip.com. The accused convinced the complainant to transfer money on the pretext of subscribing IPOs at discounted price and by assuring higher allotment.
