Hyderabad Police caution citizens on rising FedEx parcel fraud cases

Since 2022, there has been a 1,000 per cent increase in FedEx parcel frauds in Telangana, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crimes) AV Ranganath

Hyderabad: Following a slew of FedEx parcel fraud cases in the State, the Hyderabad Police advised people not to entertain calls made by strangers informing them about parcels seized by customs or other agencies for illegal materials.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crimes) AV Ranganath said there was an increase in instances of parcel fraud in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad where victims were losing large chunks of their savings to fraudsters, who have mastered the art of identifying potential victims.

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Right from identifying the victim to threatening and making them pay up, the gangs were displaying mastery in the art of conning people, the senior official said. “The fraudsters are thriving on the fear factor. In a majority of cases, they put the victims under fear of arrest or jail and extort huge amounts of money from them within a few hours,” Ranganath pointed out.

He explained that since 2022, there has been a 1,000 per cent increase in FedEx parcel frauds in Telangana. First, the victim would receive a call over his phone from some person claiming to be an official from some airport in the country stating that they have a parcel that contains some illegal substances. The parcel was meant for the victim and to make him believe would reveal the address, Aadhar card number, and other details.

“Such details are obtained by fraudsters through some websites selling database of individuals for a price. Using it they target people randomly and in some cases do succeed in duping them,” the official said.

After the initial conversation, the fraudsters say that their case is referred to a CBI or police team for further action. “The victim is made to accept a video call on some app and face the inquiry of CBI or police. The impersonator officer questions the victims for an hour or more and puts them in fear. The fraudsters then extort money from the victims on the pretext of closing the case,” Ranganath said.

Only after discussing the issue with some relatives or friends, do the victims realise they are duped. “In 75 per cent of the cases people don’t approach the police and forget it as a bad experience. In just 25 per cent cases people come and lodge complaints. Swiftly cases are registered and investigation is taken up,” the official said.