Rs 382 cr tax notice unveils Aadhaar, PAN misuse scam in Thane involving multiple bank accounts

A real estate agent from Thane’s Diva was taken back upon receiving an income tax notice accusing him of transactions totaling Rs 382 crore, reported TOI.

He soon discovered that he was a victim of a large-scale financial scam involving fraudulent bank accounts and shell companies established in his name for money laundering, according to a police officer.

The order began in 2022 when an acquaintance approached him with a job offer promising a monthly salary of Rs 20,000. The prime suspect, along with two accomplices, requested his Aadhaar card, PAN card, photographs, and a signed check, noted a TOI report.

They allegedly used these documents to open multiple bank accounts and create fake businesses, including a proprietorship. These accounts were then used for substantial financial transactions amounting to Rs 382 crore.

TOI reported that the scam came to light when the complainant received an inquiry from the Income Tax Department regarding the extensive financial activities linked to his name. He then reported the issue to the cybercrime police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.

Police stated that the accused exploited the complainant’s documents to carry out illegal financial operations and facilitate money laundering through the fake firms. “They opened multiple bank accounts used for large-scale money laundering,” said an officer. Authorities have warned the public against sharing personal documents, as such scams are increasingly prevalent.

Recently, a new type of bank fraud has also been making rounds, especially targeting debit and credit card users, ET had earlier reported.

This fraud at first starts with a pre-recorded call informing you about a certain large-value transaction that has been conducted using your debit or credit card.

Furthermore, as a goodwill gesture, the fraudster impersonating a bank officer will offer to ‘assist’ you in lodging a cyber complaint in regard to this transaction. To do this you need to press #9 on the dialer. In reality neither the bank which issued the card nor anyone from the bank initiated this call and the whole thing is a fraud.