19-year-old mastermind scams hundreds worth lakhs of rupees with fake ‘scratch cards’

In a cleverly orchestrated scheme, a teenager hailing from Punjab and employed by a knitting company masterminded an elaborate cyber-fraud operation, raking in lakhs of rupees. This 19-year-old individual, ultimately apprehended by the Haryana Police Cyber Cell team, embarked on a four-month-long spree that saw him deceiving numerous victims, as reported by the Indian Express.

The young culprit, residing in Ludhiana with his family, acquired a mobile phone SIM card from Madhya Pradesh and commissioned the creation of a counterfeit website in Noida. Over the course of four months, he enticed countless individuals with fraudulent scratch coupons supposedly issued by multinational corporations. His activities finally came to an end when the Haryana Police Cyber Cell apprehended him.

Cyber cell officials working on the case revealed that the accused established a bogus website, "raakioffr.org," where he posted fabricated information about an Indian company dealing in an array of products, from tea and soap to power and steel. To lend an air of authenticity, he also included images of the company's top executives. Through this website, he enticed people with 'free scratch coupons worth Rs 1999,' claiming to celebrate the company's 155th anniversary.

The accused, identified as 19-year-old Aman, provided details during interrogation. He disclosed that he had encountered a Telegram link on his Facebook page, leading him to join a group where he learned the art of creating and obtaining mobile phone SIM cards, bank accounts, debit and credit cards using fraudulent documents. Subsequently, he collaborated with individuals to hatch a cyber-fraud plot, enlisting the services of a website designer in Noida to create the counterfeit website. Using this platform, he disseminated information about a multinational company and duped people with fake scratch coupons. Aman received a comprehensive banking kit, comprising a mobile phone SIM card, debit and credit cards, and a bank account, which he used to defraud people for a week before discarding them.

Aman faced charges under sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act and sections 419, 120, 467, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code, following the registration of an FIR against him at Panchkula Cyber police station. Investigators revealed that Aman had completed his 10+2 education in Ludhiana and had been working for a knitting company since his father's demise the previous year. All the SIM cards Aman employed were procured from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Explaining the accused's modus operandi, an investigating official told Indian Express, "Once users clicked on the links provided on the website, they were prompted to provide their bank account details, supposedly to receive the Rs 1,999 scratch coupon amount. After users submitted their details and clicked for the final submission, the money was promptly siphoned from their accounts. Due to the relatively small amounts involved, many victims refrained from reporting to the police. Exploiting this fact, the accused aggregated the ill-gotten funds and withdrew them from an ATM. It is suspected that multiple individuals may have been involved in this elaborate scam."

A police officer confirmed that Haryana Police were conducting raids at various locations in pursuit of Aman's accomplices, particularly those who supplied the SIM cards and the individual responsible for creating the counterfeit website.