Noida society associations warn tenants of fraudsters posing as police, govt officials to extort money

A circular alerting tenants to a new fraud has been distributed by the associations of flat owners in several societies in Noida.

Residents have been warned about scammers who pose as police or court officials with fictitious arrest orders and attempt to enter apartments to extort victims after requesting that guards leave.

The city's police claimed they were unaware of any such cases, despite the circular highlighting one such event.

An individual posing as a court official recently tried to enter an apartment building with a fictitious arrest order for a resident, the Articles of Association (AOA) said in its statement.

Despite being denied access after verification, the suspected fraudster returned with accomplices posing as police officers.

They threatened the guards with legal action if they stopped government personnel from carrying out their "duties" and entered into society.

They allegedly threatened the resident with arrest, but he refused to open the door despite multiple knocks. The suspected scammers returned after a while.

The circular does not identify the society or the purported target resident.

When informed, a senior police official denied any such complaint received, saying, "Yes, digital arrests are a threat. But we haven't yet received any complaints about fraudsters trying to enter societies with fake arrest warrants. We will, however, look into the possibility of such a scam."

The circular lists a number of precautions that residents and AOAs should take, including installing video doorbells, conducting thorough security checks on visitors, properly verifying individuals posing as government officials, reporting suspicious individuals to Resident Welfare Association (RWA) offices, avoiding opening doors to strangers, especially during threat calls, and speaking with the police directly.