Jharkhand: When a fake Facebook account of IG Minz triggered reunion with old friends

Jamshedpur: In a strange twist of fate, a group of scamsters set out to con people but inadvertently triggered a heartwarming reunion instead.
The online fraudsters, driven by greed and a desire to make quick money, created a fake Facebook profile of a prominent Indian Police Service (IPS) officer stationed in Jharkhand. Their target? The unsuspecting friends of this high-ranking officer. With a carefully crafted plan, the scamsters sent out friend requests from this fake account to all the officer’s connections on Facebook. Once the requests were accepted, they engaged in brief, casual conversations before shamelessly asking for money, using a variety of fabricated excuses.
Little did they know, their con would lead to something entirely unexpected. Friends of the officer, who had lost touch for years after graduating from school and college, suddenly found themselves reconnecting. They reached out to each other, warning about the fake account, and in the process, rekindled old friendships.
And the man at the center of it all is Jharkhand Police’s Inspector General of Police (IG) Aseem Vikrant Minz, currently posted with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
IG Minz took to Facebook with a witty and humorous post to alarm people of the fake account being run by the fraudsters acknowledged the unintended good that came from the scam.
In his post, Minz wrote, “A fake account helped me reconnect with old friends. Many who had been out of touch for years reached out to warn me about the imposter asking for money. So, thank you, Mr. Fraudster, for arranging a reunion!”
The post has since garnered attention, with people appreciating the officer’s lighthearted take on an otherwise serious situation.
This, however, is not an isolated incident in the state. Scamsters have been known to create fake social media profiles of senior IAS and IPS officers in the past, using their official photos—often in uniform—to dupe the public. Earlier this year, the Jamshedpur District Commissioner’s account was targeted. More recently, fraudsters used photos of Godda DC Zeeshan Qamar to create fake WhatsApp and Facebook accounts.
IG Minz who also leads the Cyber Cell talking to The Avenue Mail said, “These fraudsters exploit the trust and fear associated with senior police officers. When people see a high-ranking police official’s photo, they are often too scared to question the request. People usually do not verify when they receive friend requests or WhatsApp call with their photo.”
“To avoid such scams people should verify first if a new request is known to them or not. If he or she is an old friend, one should check their accounts if they have already added the person or not then accepting new requests,” added Minz.
IG CID further added that their team is constantly working to curb cyber-frauds. He suggests that a person using the internet or smartphone should be very watchful on what kind of calls or messages they are receiving.
“Never entertain people demanding money nor share vital details like date of birth, bank account numbers or Aadhar card to anyone over calls or messages,” the IG added.