Mobile users duped by teenager

6 June 2011 01:30 am - 13 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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By Gandhya Senanayake

A seventeen-year-old youth who scammed several customers of a leading mobile service operator after fraudulently obtaining their personnel and SIM cards details was arrested by the Fraud Investigations Bureau and presented in Court.

The youth who reportedly worked in a telecommunication centre in Aluthgama earlier had called several unsuspecting mobile users and announced that they had won a large LCD TV in a draw, after which he obtained all necessary details regarding the SIM.

Thereafter he would inform the mobile operator that he had lost the phone and use the fraudulently obtained details to convince the mobile provider that he was the genuine user. The request for re-issuing of a new SIM would be made to his address.

The youth who does not possess an NIC had duped couriers who delivered new SIMs to his home address. Following a string of under-cover operations, Police arrested the youth and recovered several fraudulently obtained SIMs – the numbers which had been used by him to advertise in leading newspapers regarding the sale of buses and other vehicles which he did not actually posses.

He had also convinced mobile owners to credit Rs.3500 to their own mobile accounts promising them unlimited calls for a full year and had later transferred the said amount using the details gathered to several other numbers of his choice.

The Fraud Investigations Bureau is conducting further investigations into the matter while Court proceedings are underway.

The Fraud Investigation Bureau strongly advised the public to be vigilant and not to provide sensitive details regarding their mobile accounts including personnel details to unverified persons and also warned to confirm any such activities with the relevant mobile operator. (Daily Mirror online)

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Comments - 13

Bumba Monday, 06 June 2011 03:47 AM

Smart kid, stupid customers!

Sam Monday, 06 June 2011 04:01 AM

Reminds me "Catch Me If You Can Movie".

soap Monday, 06 June 2011 04:11 AM

srilankan Leonardo DiCaprio (catch me if you can) so he is gonna be work in CID :P

MadHatter Monday, 06 June 2011 04:40 AM

Incredible. What wasted talent!

cman Monday, 06 June 2011 04:51 AM

So, he promised a miracle which he didn't have!

DHA Monday, 06 June 2011 05:19 AM

A creative guy.....next President ?

afraz Monday, 06 June 2011 05:36 AM

CID should recruit these kinds of kids to tackle actual cases and they could convert the kid in to an asset for the nation

Mohammed Monday, 06 June 2011 05:46 AM

If he get proper guide he can invent & a genuine business personal

athula Monday, 06 June 2011 05:45 AM

Smart card / Smart Boy pacakage for teenagers ...Please do Rehabilitate and give a schollar ship to Japan . bring back and let him inovate . after all a teenager just starting life
Not a Drug addict.

Sammy Monday, 06 June 2011 05:53 AM

His smartness can be used to catch other thieves. "Set a thief to catch a thief".

callCenterStaff Monday, 06 June 2011 06:32 AM

Even more stupid Telecom Companies.
How did he get duplicate SIMs without a written letter from the mobile phone company?
This is serious. I thought they had rules to overcome such frauds. What will happen when our phones are stolen, they already have our NIC number,name due to government regulation(simply dial #132# from your phone)

Next will be our bank accounts!!!

Instead of jailing the kid some serious measurements must be done from TRC and also government must come up with regulations for personal information handling.

Fayad Monday, 06 June 2011 07:03 AM

He can't be considered smart at this young age he has got the criminal tag.

Jabos Monday, 06 June 2011 08:56 AM

Exactly !! I thought that a large Telco like Dialog could offer this guy a Job in their investigation division.

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Mobile users duped by teenager

Comments - 13

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