Man held for fake promises of selling VIP SIM cards

The Criminal Investigation Department's Cyber Police Monitoring team arrested one person on July 23 for selling people fake 'VIP SIM cards' from unverified online pages.

Police arrested Mithun Sarkar (29) from Madhukhali in Faridpur, CID's Cyber Police Special Superintendent Rezaul Masud said during a press briefing at its headquarters in Malibagh today.

The CID recovered Tk 10 lakh from him and also seized three mobile phones from his possession.

"We got 10 of his Facebook pages which were used for such fraudulent activities," Rezaul Masud said.

But how did the crime unfold?

According to police, criminals first try to make a deal with you to pay the full money for the SIM card. After completing payment, they ask you to go to the nearest customer care centre of the mobile phone operator, saying the instructions would be sent there and customers can get the SIM card after biometric verification.

Once you send the money, the fraudster blocks your contacts. Even if one tries from another number, the fraudsters stop you by shouting and hurling expletives and eventually blocking the second number too.

The VIP SIM cards supposedly being sold are usually easy-to-remember phone numbers, including having the same last eight digits.

VIP numbers with the same last eight digits of 017 series are priced at Tk 20,000; 019 series at Tk 17,000 while 018, 016 and 015 series at Tk 15,000 on Mithun's Facebook page, the CID said.

"We didn't get any VIP SIM card from him," Mohammad Mahmudul Islam Talukder, additional superintendent of CID's Cyber Police Centre, told The Daily Star.

The CID official said upper-middle class and high-profile customers usually reach out to these people for VIP numbers.

Some mobile operators earlier used to sell VIP numbers, but after BTRC's instruction, they stopped selling it giving fraudsters a chance.

The CID filed a case against Mithun under the Digital Security Act with Paltan Police Station. He was placed on a two-day remand.

The CID's Cyber Police official said that they are monitoring online platforms regularly and also requested victims to complain through their Facebook page, email or mobile phone numbers if they are victims of any sort of cybercrime.