Miscreant impersonating DGP of Assam GP Singh attempts to scam users on messenger; Silchar resident receives request

In a concerning incident, a resident of Silchar recently fell victim to an impersonation scam involving the Director General of Police (DGP) of Assam, GP Singh. The impersonator, posing as the DGP, attempted to deceive the unsuspecting resident through Facebook Messenger.

The sequence of events unfolded when the Silchar resident received a friend suggestion from Facebook, encouraging them to send a friend request to GP Singh, the Director General of Police, Assam. Eager to connect with a prominent figure, the resident sent the friend request, which was accepted within moments.

Shortly after the acceptance, the impersonator initiated a conversation by asking, “How are you?” In response, the Silchar resident innocently replied with “I am fine.” However, the situation took a sinister turn when the impersonator, still posing as GP Singh, asked for the resident’s mobile number, to which the unsuspecting individual obliged.

The turning point came when the Silchar resident received a series of suspicious messages from the fake account. These messages clearly indicated that the account was attempting to defraud people. The messages when compiled, read, “Hi. One my friend Sumit Kumar from CRPF camp, he is selling household furniture items second hand. Hi is CRPF Officer. His duty transferred. All item price very cheap and all items very good condition. I am forwarding your contact number my friend Sumit Kumar. Ok.”

Recognizing the potential danger, the Silchar resident promptly blocked and unfriended the fraudulent account on Facebook. Sharing their experience, the resident expressed astonishment at the impersonator’s audacity and emphasized the importance of caution in such online interactions. “Initially, I was surprised to notice the reaction. How is it that a DGP of GP Singh’s stature, who is so busy, has so much time to write ‘hi’ and ‘hello’ on messenger. But then I cannot imagine that someone will have the audacity to impersonate GP Singh’s profile, misuse his profile image, and engage with the people of the state,” the resident shared with Barak Bulletin.

The impersonator’s profile was found to use the same display image and cover image as the official page of the DGP of Assam, further adding to the deception. The account’s modus operandi involves sending friend requests to random accounts and initiating conversations on Messenger, demonstrating a concerning attempt to exploit unsuspecting individuals.