Scammer Poses as CJI DY Chandrachud, Requests Rs 500 for Cab Fare in Viral Scam: 'I'm Stuck at CP'

Scams have become common in today’s digital age, with fraudsters devising new ways daily to exploit people. From phishing emails and fake social media profiles to impersonating high-profile individuals, the landscape of cybercrime is continually evolving. In a recent incident, a scammer impersonated the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud to mint money from an individual. As per the now-viral screenshot, the scammer posing as CJI sent a message to an individual requesting a mere ₹500, claiming it was needed to pay for a cab. The scammer even promised to return the money upon reaching the destination.

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The message reads, “Hello, I am CJI and we have an urgent meeting at the collegium and I am stuck at Connaught Place. Can you send me 500rs for a cab? I will return the money once I reach the court.”

The scammer further sent another message to make it read genuine. The sign-off reads, “Sent from iPad.”

Taking cognizance of the fraudulent message, the Supreme Court of India filed a complaint with the cyber crime cell on August 27 on the instructions of CJI Chandrachud.

Take a look at the message here:

Here’s how people reacted to this message sent by the scammer posing as the CJI:

“Sent from iPad – genuine cause,” wrote an individual highlighting the sign-off by the scammer.

Another added, “Haha. CJI asking for Rs 500.”

“Lmfao, whoever this is, is going to jail,” chimed in a third.

Cybercrime in India

According to I4C, an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), there is a surge in cybercrime incidents targeting India, with many originating from the Southeast Asian region. This area has become a hotspot for major investment and stock market scams, digital arrests, fake gaming apps, and so forth.

“Cybercrime operations based in these countries employ a comprehensive array of deceptive strategies, including recruitment efforts by exploiting social media to lure Indian youths with fake employment opportunities. These individuals are then compelled to engage in various cyber scams (such as investment scams, pig butchering scams, trading app scams, dating scams, etc), often communicating via messaging platforms using Indian SIM cards to target Indian nationals. The illicit gains from these activities are laundered through sophisticated financial channels, including Indian bank accounts, cryptocurrency transactions, and cash withdrawals across various countries, among others,” said Rajesh Kumar, a 2002-batch IPS officer, who serves as the CEO of I4C.

He added, “It includes international fund transfers, physical gold, cryptocurrency, cash withdrawals from India and other countries, and hawala. They use the complex layering of bank accounts. In one case where the victim lost 70 lakh rupees, fraudsters used nine bank accounts and finally transferred money into cryptocurrency,”

“Compounds in Cambodia were used where Indians went to in the country. They use multiple telegram channels to trap Indians. The maximum number of victims are trapped in investment scams,” Kumar further said.