Fraudsters target family members of seafarers on Merchant Navy ships

Hyderabad: Family members of men-in-white working on the high seas are the new targets of scamsters and fraudsters. It remains unknown how they are getting the data of seafarers working on merchant navy ships. This problem has surfaced following numerous incidents of fraudsters reaching out to the family members of seafarers working on ships.

The scamsters reach out by email, WhatsApp and Tele-calling and impersonate themselves as officials calling from law enforcement authorities like ‘Customs, State Police departments, Central Bureau of Investigation, Immigration, and also officials from the Union Ministry of Shipping’. Their modus operandi is to create panic among the family members of the seafarers working on the ships on the high seas and offering to rescue them for money.

According to the Director General of Shipping, the fraudsters are reaching out to the family members of the men in white working onboard vessels, alleging that a seafarer working on a ship from the family was involved in illegal activities of serious nature such as smuggling, narcotics, theft, rape and murder, etc. This is to create panic among the family members and to demand money for their release.

“These claims are generally false and are designed to deceive and exploit unsuspecting family members,” cautioned the DGS.

Noting this new scam is taking a toll on the family members of the seafarers following several cases that have surfaced, the DGS “strongly advises all family members of seafarers to exercise extreme caution and be vigilant while receiving such calls or emails as it is crucial to ascertain the exact details of such caller, message or email sender and to not entertain these requests and refrain from transferring money to unknown individuals without proper verifications.”

It has asked the family members whenever they receive emails or messages to observe caution and immediately inform the concerned nodal official of the Recruitment and Placement Services (RPS) agency or the ship-owners representatives through which the seafarer has been employed contractually onboard the vessel.

Further, it has directed the RPS agencies and ship-owners to immediately take up such issues by alerting the concerned law-enforcing authorities to prevent further victimisation and ensure the safety and security of seafarers and their family members.