Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh):The cyber crooks based in foreign countries have concocted a new way to cheat people. Their local handlers approach less-literate and underprivileged persons to seek their bank accounts on rent.

They, then transfer money obtained through cyber frauds into those accounts. Later, the handlers sell the rented bank accounts to their kingpins based abroad. After the handlers successfully transfer the amount to their overseas kingpins, they return the bank accounts to their rightful owners, offering them a 15%-20% commission in exchange for the same.

When the cyber police reach out to the person who had lent his bank account to the crooks, he is unable to give significant information about the accused. According to city cyber cell officials, the local handlers of foreign-based crooks are arrested after much effort, the duped money is not recovered from them, as they transfer the amount to their kingpins.

Kingpins based in Pak, China, Dubai

Sources at the city cyber cell told Free Press that this year, almost 25 handlers of the foreign-based cyber crooks have been arrested this year, who revealed the modus operandi to cyber policemen after their arrest.

They added that the local handlers astutely choose people, who are in desperate need of money and obtain their ATM card, net banking details and other transaction details from them. The people renting their bank accounts are offered Rs 10,000 to 15,000 in exchange for the same.

Campaigns in rural areas soon

When contacted, assistant commissioner of police (cyber cell) Sujeet Tiwari said that the cyber cell would soon run special campaigns in villages and rural areas to advise people not to rent their bank accounts to others as they would be misused and might cause legal trouble.