Fake lucky draws

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Organised gangs looting residents of Islamabad

By Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD: Organised gangs are involved in looting the residents of capital by offering them cars in a lucky draw. Tell them that they had won the car in lucky draw and in the end they force the citizen to pay 50,000 to 80,000 for documentation and cargo of car; then make away with the money and disappear from the scene.

Daily Times has learnt that at currently more than a dozen Karachi and Lahore based gangs are involved in looting the residents of by this lucrative and complex way.

According to victims, firstly they collect phone numbers and addresses from phone directories randomly, then a female call at the address and tell that her company has sent them documents of car, why they have not replied yet. Usually housewives receive the calls and tell those females that they had not received any written intimation for winning the car. The lady tells that they purchased some items from them during door-to-door selling (DDS) campaign. She says now the company is financially stable so they have decided to give a car as a prize to some of their customers who did purchasing in initial stage of company. She further tells that if they have not received the intimation letter then contact this number to get the opportunity.

Females tell their husbands that they have won the car so they should contact that person. If husband is sensible, he tells wife that its fraud but wives insist to grab this offer. They persuade their husband to call that person. When that person calls at the given number, usually a person who claims himself Director or Manager of the company tells him that he has won a 1100 CC brand new car and to receive the car he should come to Karachi along with his two neighbors who should have ID cards bearing same addresses of his street; otherwise he should contact any cargo office to get his car. The said person of company inform him that pay the amount and send the receipt to their office address so that they would send the car.

Winner of the car cannot afford travel expenses so he ultimately prefers the second option. After that he goes to the cargo centre and pays Rs 15,000 to 18,000 to get the car and sends the receipt.

Now the game takes a new turn as the gang knows that the person has spent almost Rs 20,000 for that car so they call him again and tell him that they want another Rs 80,000 for documentation of the car and assures him that it is government fee they are not getting even a single rupee. Once again wives persuade the husbands and at last he sends them the said money, after this cruel game all cell numbers (that are unregistered) are permanently switched off.

One of the victim Salman, a resident of sector I-10/2 told Daily Times that he had received a call from Lahore’s phone number 042-36139023. A person Nadeem Ahmed was talking from that number and told him that it was their factory number and congratulated him that he had won a car. Nadeem told that he should another contact man, Mirza Khalid Baig in Karachi for further details on cell number 0333-3663148. When Salman contacted Baig he said that he was manager of Universal Foods Company and said that he had won a silver colour 2010 model Cultus car. He also told him that he should contact the cargo office for the delivery of car.