TEAM GOEMKARPONN
PANAJI: Goa Cybercrime police have warned that con artists are utilizing fictitious video calls to trick people, primarily men, into giving over personal information and then blackmailing them for money. As a result, they have asked the public to avoid communicating with unknown or unverified persons online.
Rahul Gupta, Superintendent of Police (SP), Cyber Crime, stated that “perpetrators usually initiate contact via social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, presenting themselves as attractive women residing abroad.”
Gupta described the scammer’s method of operation, saying that after building rapport, the con artist sets up a video conversation in which the con artist first puts themselves in a vulnerable position and then pushes the victim to follow suit.
“After the call ends, the fraudster records screenshots or videos of the victim and launches a campaign of blackmail,” Gupta claimed.
According to him, con artists frequently pose as law enforcement officers, such as the Mumbai Crime Branch or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and they threaten to expose the purportedly obscene material unless they receive money.
Gupta urged people to exercise caution and underlined that it’s crucial to confirm someone’s identification before making video conversations.
“Do not panic if you become a victim; these con artists feed off your fear,” he continued.
According to the SP, since scammers usually don’t post any content, these screenshots aren’t utilized against victims very often.
“Such videos have not been made public in any of the cases we have encountered,” he stated.
