'Fake' Angel Pad and pesky Pak calls: Beat it now

BANGALORE, INDIA: If you are getting mysterious missed calls purportedly originating from Pakistan (Country ISD code: +92) or among the ones who have placed an order for Angel Pad and waiting perpetually for it to be delivered, read on.

Don't give up yet. There is hope.

First, about the unsolicited calls from Pakistan.

It's been happening unabated for about two years now, and many Indians have been victimized by the scamsters behind the fraudulent calls. Their modus operandi: Once you call back, they might tell that you won a lottery and even give a cheque number to win your trust. And then, they ask you to deposit some amount in their account to claim the prize money. Almost, the same tactic used by certain Nigerians, who send lottery win notification mails and demand payment.

It's happening across all networks. Airtel and Vodafone have even issued alerts on their website warning people. Vodafone says: "At Vodafone, we care for your security. If you receive a missed call from an unidentified number starting with +92, do not call back or divulge any personal details."

Airtel warns: "Do not respond to any unexpected calls from a number with the +92 or +375 country code." Some of the numbers, which are allegedly being used in this fraud, are +923044433686, +923007355415, +923414801276, +923423128685, +923417992778, +923026393127 and +923027471183.

When CIOL took up the case with S. Murugan, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Cyber Crime (CID), Bangalore, he gave some options on how to deal with the menace.

"If you get an unsolicited call from Pakistan or elsewhere, inform your service provider immediately and ask them to block the number. If the problem persists even after that, you can lodge a complaint with the local police station," he advises. Then, police authorities will initiate action on the complaint by tracking down the number and nabbing the masterminds behind it.

As for the Angel Pad, nobody who booked for one, up to our knowledge, have got it delivered so far. We are still receiving a lot of complaints on non-delivery of the Rs. 2,250 tablet by Angel Technologies, supposedly from China.

A prominent person, R. Nair (name changed on request), had booked the Angel Pad on June 2, but no confirmation e-mail was sent to him immediately by Angel Technologies. He made the payment via PayPal and $40 was deducted from his credit card. After several attempts at establishing contact, he finally got the confirmation from one Jenny S. George on June 4. It was promised that he would get it in maximum 10 working days. But, the promise remained just on paper.

Murugan says that this can't exactly be considered a cyber crime case, but a cheating one. "You can file a complaint at a local police station and if it is found to be a cyber crime, then some provisions of the IT Act can be invoked and we would take up the case," he asserts.

So, don't take these two issues lying down. Walk up to your nearest police station and file a formal complaint, with all the details and information on the numbers, mail IDs, website URLs and anything else that might serve as evidence.

Are you ready to fight it out?