Fraudsters ripping off cash through phone scams

Whilst an entire nation is fighting the C ovid -19 pandemic, criminals are seizing the opportunity to extort money from the innocent public through an organised crime, Police said yesterday.

The modus operandi, they said, was for a gang member to pretend he was a Police Sub Inspector to telephone preidentified homes and tell the chief occupant they would be arrested for being involved in last year's Easter Sunday attacks. They are told to deposit a sum of money in a bank account or face arrest.

Last Monday morning a person or a group had telephoned a resident claiming they were from the Wattala Police and demanded that they de posit an amount in connection with an investigation. The caller claimed that if the demand is ignored he would be remanded for 14 days.

They told the resident to communicate with whom they claimed was a senior police officer.

The wife of the victim called that number and the person told her, “Your husband would be arrested in 10 minutes because your husband has been contacted by person who is connected to the Easter Sunday bombings.’’

He had added: “I have been handed over the inquiry into the Easter Sunday bomb blasts. I have no time to waste, so you must adhere to our procedure.’’

Instructions were given to deposit money to two mobile accounts through a Bank of Ceylon ATM in Kiribathgoda or Wattala.

Several account numbers were given with instructions to deposit the money separately.

The fearful victim deposited Rs 45,000 through a Bank of Ceylon ATM machine to two mobile numbers. The scammer had told the victims he would contact them later.

The family filed a complaint with the police later and was told by the police they had fallen for a scam.

The Officer in Charge of the Watt ala Police, Chief Inspector, L Silogama, told the Sunday Times that this was not the only incident. There had been two similar complaints.

“We are aware of this scam. We suspect that this is done by some criminal convicts. They target law abiding citizens.’’

CI Silogama said suspects pretend to call from the area police station and then threaten the victims with arrest unless they comply and call a 078 number which is answered by someone who impersonates a senior officer.

He explained that the suspects then force people to deposit money to given accounts or transfer money via mobile apps.

He said that this has been reported at other police stations, including Kiribathgoda.

The officer in charge of Kelaniya Divisional Crime Investigation Unit, C. I Linton Lenard de Silva, said drug addicts a re known to impersonate the police.

He said a few individuals connected to five incidents in Wattala, Kandana and P eli ya god a, have been arrested.

Two suspects have been stopping vehicles claiming to be police and forcing people to pay them money.

“Both criminals were identified as a drug addict and a gambler. We identified them with the help of police intelligence and by checking CCTV footage,’’ he said.

One suspect was using a motorbike registered to the Forest Department which belonged to his brother. Rs 325,000 had been scammed.

He added that the suspects we re produced in the Hulftsdorp Magistrates’ Courts and remanded till Friday, May 15.

He said had been alerted about another group which is making calls using a mobile number impersonating a senior police officer.

He said that once the curfew is lifted they would obtain information from mobile companies and track down the suspects.

In a separate incident in the Borella area this week, a man walked into a house claiming that he was well known to a family member and had been told to borrow Rs 10,000.

Just as the man was about to be handed the money he had grabbed the wallet and fled and even went past a police team on the main road. The police only realised a possible crime only when they saw the suspect being chased. But the man had escaped.

Meanwhile, Director of Crimes, Senior Superintendent of Police, Wijitha Karunakalage, said there are no records of people impersonating police officers.

He said though they normally keep records of crimes and daily progress of information, they are engaged in keeping statistics of coronavirus- related cases and of people who are ordered into self-quarantine.

While maintaining the curfew, the police could track down suspects, he said.

Mr Karunakalage said that suspects can be tracked down faster if people file a report to the nearest police stations.