Lucknow, Dec 27 (IANS): A UP government official was allegedly duped of Rs 1.58 lakh after a fraudster called him up and cooked up a distress story, seeking immediate transfer of funds by mimicking his relative’s voice through AI voice spoofing.
The incident took place on December 6 and the FIR was lodged on December 21, said police.
The victim, Prashant (name changed), said he got a call from an unidentified mobile number and was apprised of the need for money to meet expenses on medical treatment of the caller’s friend in Lucknow.
“The voice of the caller resembled that of my brother-in-law, who is a judge posted in New Delhi, and so I transferred the funds to the account mentioned by the caller,” he said.
“Later, when I spoke to my brother-in-law, he denied having called me,” said the victim.
An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the IPC and IT Act, said J.K. Singh, SHO, Hussainganj.