AGARTALA, July 15 (TIWN): The issue of fake messages and emails of lottery rampant over the state. A section of population has been targeted by the fraudster and trying to trick out their hard-earned cash. The frauds send messages using fake numbers and emails telling the people about winning lottery.

It’s amazing when a message blinks over the phone telling the owners that they have won the lottery.

Acting on an incident, recently CID has nabbed a fraudster named Nitish Adhikari from his rented house at Churaibari Dharmanagar. According to the sources, Nitish Adhikari is a resident of Karimganj, Assam.

According to the information, the related persons send messages to the targeted numbers saying “you have won lots of money or a fantastic prize in a competition”, lottery or sweepstake which the receivers don’t even remember of entering.

The contact may come by mail, telephone, email, text message or social media. The prize ‘won’ could be anything from a tropical holiday to electronic equipment such as a laptop or a smart phones, or even money from an international lottery.

However, the fraudsters then ask to claim the prize, paying certain amount. Fraudsters often say that these fees are for government taxes or insurance costs or as bank charge or courier charges. The scammers make money by continually collecting these fees from the victims.

Alternatively the fraudsters try to keeps their targeted customers on the line for a long time in order to seize hefty charge. They even ask to call a second premium rate number.

The email or text message received by the targeted consumers asks to respond quickly or there is a risk to miss out the chances of winning hefty amount. It may also urge to keep the winnings private or confidential, to ‘maintain security’ or stop other people from getting the prize by mistake. The fraudsters do this to prevent from seeking further information or advice from independent sources.

For prolonged days, the fraudsters targeted the common people of the state’s hilly areas and interior where the people are not much aware of such kind of cyber crime. Therefore, the innocent residents of the area easily fall into the trap of the fraudsters.

The poor people of the state who are in need of money easily fell into the trap of the fraudsters for winning hefty amount.

Though the state police were investigating over the issue for prolonged days but till day they could not come up with proper information.

Finally the CID recently, based on secret information nabbed a fraudster named Nitish Adhikari from his rented house at Churaibari Dharmanagar through conducting an expedition.