In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated a case against an accused individual in connection with a crypto scam. The accused, an Indian national, allegedly posed as “James Carlson” and falsely represented himself as a member of a Fraud Department from a multinational company. Under this pseudonym, the accused contacted a US citizen, alleging that an unauthorized order had been placed for a computer using the victim’s account with the said multinational company.
Furthermore, the accused allegedly misled the victim by claiming that individuals from four different states had used the victim’s Social Security Number to open accounts with the multinational corporation. To gain the victim’s trust, the accused induced the victim to withdraw cash from their bank accounts and deposit it into a RockitCoin ATM Wallet in Bitcoin. The victim was provided with a QR code, falsely asserting that it was opened by the US Treasury on their behalf. Additionally, the accused sent a fraudulent letter dated September 20, 2022, purportedly issued by the Federal Trade Commission, USA.
Consequently, the victim reportedly withdrew a total of $130,000 from their bank accounts on various dates from August 30, 2022, to September 9, 2022, and deposited these funds into the Bitcoin address provided by the accused. The accused then allegedly misappropriated these funds, defrauding the victim of $130,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), USA, provided critical inputs for this investigation.
The CBI executed searches at the accused’s premises in Ahmedabad, leading to the recovery and seizure of various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and USDT, collectively valued at approximately $9.3 lakh. In addition to the digital assets, incriminating materials were also discovered during these searches. Furthermore, the investigation revealed the involvement of two other individuals, both residents of Ahmedabad, prompting searches at their residences. These searches resulted in the recovery of mobile phones, laptops containing incriminating material, and more.
The investigation into this crypto scam is ongoing.
