Fake Amazon gang steals money from an Indian nurse in West Cork via TransferWise
WEST CORK: There are indications that people of Indian descent are behind the group that extorts money by making fake phone calls in the name of Amazon.
An Indian nurse working at a nursing home in West Cork lost around €3,000 yesterday as a result of a fake phone call claiming to be from Amazon.
The fraudsters told the nurse that an amount of €600 had been transferred from her Amazon account under suspicious circumstances, and that someone else was attempting to transfer another €1000. They also said that they were contacting her in order to ensure the security of her account.
She opened the account after receiving their notification and saw that €600 had been transferred. The nurse informed them of this, and they responded by sending an OTP number to prevent further scams. Unfortunately, the nurse fell into their trap again, entering the OTP and losing €1000.
Since the money was transferred through the TransferWise app, the nurse received an e-mail saying that the money had already been received.
When the person on the other end of the phone was notified that the money had been lost, he/she responded that there was no need to be worried because the money had gone to the TransferWise. They also convinced her that she would get a refund from the app.
The nurse had also downloaded an application called AnyDesk, which the fraud team had requested.
After she done talking with them and checked AIB’s mobile app, she found that the remaining money (€2.973) in her account had also been transferred via the TransferWise app. She immediately contacted the AIB branch, but was told that the money had been transferred.
After checking her transaction details in the app, it was found that the money had been transferred to the account of Pushpendu Bal at the Kolkata branch of ICICI Bank.
Garda has launched an investigation into the complaint of the Indian nurse. The account at the ICICI Bank Kolkata branch has been confirmed to be genuine. The Kolkata branch informed the nurse that her account would be freeze.
It is said that many people in West Cork received similar messages and calls yesterday.
Garda warns the people not to respond to messages or phone calls from strangers. Bank officials also warn customers not to fall victim to scammers by transferring bank account details, entering OTPs, etc…
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