Courier, Aadhar Card, Drugs: Chennai Woman Exposes Cyber Crime Fraud

A marketing professional from Chennai has shed light on a new cyber fraud tactic, raising awareness and helping others to avoid the scam. The woman, Lavanya Mohan, shared her experience on X (formerly Twitter), detailing how she received a call claiming her Aadhaar card was being misused to smuggle drugs internationally.

The woman claimed she recently read the news about two Gurugram residents defrauded of nearly Rs 2 crores by cyber fraudsters duping a parcel delivery company's (FedEx) executive and cybercrime branch professionals to scam call people claiming their Aadhar card is being misused for drug smuggling in Thailand. 

Woman Exposed 'Aadhar Card Misused For Drug Smuggling' Scam:

In a series of X threads on her social media handle @lavsmohan, Mohan detailed her conversation with the fraudsters as she received a call in which the caller, posing as a customer service representative from a delivery company (specifically mentioned as FedEx in Mohan's case), fabricated a scenario where a package containing drugs was allegedly shipped using her Aadhar ID in Thailand.

To heighten the sense of urgency and legitimacy, the scammer even provided fake details like package information, a fabricated FIR number, and even a fake employee ID. The caller then offered to connect her to a customs official to resolve the issue warning her of 'rising scams'. 

Further detailing the incident and highlighting her awareness, Mohan wrote in her thread: "Ma'am, if you don't go ahead with the complaint, your Aadhar will continue to be misused so let me connect you right away with the cyber crime branch."  She then added, "Threatening consequences + urgency = scam." 

Mohan shared how she was reminded of the news two weeks ago from Gurugram where a man lost Rs 56 lakhs to a scammer and another lost Rs 1.3 crores. 

Mohan, however, remained composed and did not fall prey to the scammer's tactics. Recognising the red flags, such as unsolicited calls, threats of legal repercussions, and attempts to rush her into taking action, she refused to engage further and did not share any personal information telling the caller she would wait for police officials to contact her and hung up the call. 

Commenting on the crime incident, Mohan wrote: "What's worrying is the level of details he had to provide me. The modus operandi is they connect you to the police who then claim that your ID is linked to the underworld." she also added, "People are losing their hard-earned money and they can't be blamed because these scams are growing more sophisticated."

On Wednesday, following the cyber crimes using FedEx's name, the company clarified in the enlightening statement that the company does not initiate calls with customers requesting information about the shipped goods unless the customer themself requests a call. 

The company's statement then warned that anyone who receives suspicious calls or messages seeking their personal information, must immediately contact law enforcement in their vicinity and report the incident to the cybercrime. 

A similar case of a 'sophisticated' cyber scam was reported by popular Bollywood actor Anjali Patil who is known for her roles in Bollywood films like Mirzya and Newton. In December 2023, the actor was scammed of Rs 5.79lakhs in a similar viral 'drug parcel scam'. 

Here's the social media thread by Lavanya Mohan:

It’s legitimately scary how good phishing and banking scams have become. Just 15 minutes ago I got this text and the link led to this VERY CONVINCING landing page.

Here’s how you can spot a scam: pic.twitter.com/xLB12n646L

— Lavanya Mohan (@lavsmohan) February 23, 2023