Hyderabad: At a time when the people are distressed due to surge in COVID-19 cases, nonavailability of beds in hospital, and scarcity of oxygen for critically ill patients, the cases of cyber conmen gangs duping gullible patients are increasing.
These cyber gangs are active online promising hospital beds, Oxygen cylinders and concentrators and other facilities to patients and their relatives.
Taking advantage of the situation, these fraudsters offer hospitals beds to needy patients and ask their relatives to transfer money online.
According to a report, a patient was conned by promising a bed in one of the city’s reputed corporate hospitals for Rs.40,000.
The patient’s relatives were asked to transfer Rs.40,000 online which they did in view of the shortage of beds in good hospitals. But once they reached the hospital they were shocked to find that the hospital does not have any online transaction facility.
The modus operandi of these conmen gangs is simple. They gather information through the desperate messages posted by the patients’ relatives on social media for hospital beds, oxygen or oxygen concentrators. Then they approach the patients or their relatives to offer what they are seeking. They ask them to transfer money online.
The Cyber Crime Branch of the city police is keeping a vigil on these conmen gangs. They appeal to the public to avoid any kind of online transaction in this regard.
Such conmen gangs are also active in other states of the country. The victims realized their folly once they are conned.
