Now naxals resort to online fraud

New Delhi, Oct 9: The next time someone offers you a free re-charge, be careful. It could well be a call from a naxal controlled centre as they have now been relying heavily on online frauds to raise funds for their operations.

Data compiled by the various agencies show that naxals and their sympathizers have picked up at least 2,000 mobile numbers which are being used to commit online fraud. The modus operandi by the naxals is similar to the one adopted by the terrorist groups.

There have been a spate of such calls reported from across the country these days. The free re-charge scheme is the most common. Calls are made to gullible customers who end up giving their debit card details. Money is then pulled out of the accounts.

The other fraud reported is that concerning charity. A call is made telling the customer that a child is in need of education and hence needs a donation. In other instances, call speaking of financial help for a medical condition are also made. Many fall trap to such tactics and end up paying money, officials say.

Fake identities:

When a survey was conducted it was found that all these mobile numbers were obtained with the help of fake identification cards. Numbers were obtained from Kolkata, Bihar and Assam.

It was also found that in Jharkhand a call centre too had been set up for this purpose. The naxals have hired both men and women for the job and in few cases the personnel were also trained the police have found.

The police have advised that the racket is similar to the one that used to emerge out of Pakistan a few years back. Pakistan based operatives had hired personnel within India to make such fraud calls and take away the money of the people.

Both the police and the intelligence bureau have advised that such unsolicited calls must be avoided. Further the police say that if anyone gets such calls then they should report it to the police station so that the calls can be tracked and action taken.

OneIndia News