Your parcel contains MDMA drugs - Fake courier scam continues to trouble; 33-year-old loses ₹7.9 lakh

The FedEx courier scam continues to affect victims nationwide, with a recent case involving a 33-year-old woman from Udupi who lost ₹7.9 lakh. Here’s what the scammers did.

The FedEx scam exploits fear to coerce money from unsuspecting victims. (Pixabay)

The FedEx parcel scam, although not new, continues to trouble unsuspecting victims. And now, Namrata, a 33-year-old woman from Udupi, Karnataka fell victim to scammers posing as FedEx officials and Mumbai Police, who fraudulently extorted ₹7.9 lakh from her.

For those uninitiated, here's how the FedEx courier scam works: Impersonating FedEx officials, scammers contact individuals claiming a parcel addressed to them has been seized with illegal contents such as multiple passports and drugs. They follow this up with a call from a fake police officer, convincing victims to either visit their police station or communicate via Skype, all while offering resolution in exchange for money. This deceptive tactic leads many to lose their hard-earned money.

What happened in the case of the 33-year-old Udipi woman?

According to TOI, Namrata received a call from someone named Sanjay posing as a FedEx representative on June 22. He claimed that a parcel meant for her had been intercepted, containing five Iranian passports, five debit cards, and 150gm of MDMA drugs.

Subsequently, he informed her that an FIR had been filed with the Mumbai Police. Following this, Namrata received a call from a fraudulent police officer who instructed her to either visit the police station or communicate via Skype. Opting for Skype, she was then told she needed to send ₹7.9 lakh for police verification. Later, she complied and sent the money.

To prevent falling victim to such scams, do this

Always bear in mind that legitimate legal processes do not involve demands for money from officials or companies like FedEx regarding criminal offenses. Police do not require large sums for verification purposes; genuine authorities already possess necessary information and do not need payments to clear people.

Additionally, analyse incoming calls carefully. Use tools like Truecaller and thoroughly check for the same online. If you do encounter a serious issue, it's safer to go to the police station yourself instead of dealing with it online, where scammers can take advantage.