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by operating account under www.slbflanka.com similar to www.slbe.lk of Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau .... trapped
The latest strategy of fraudsters is to lead people astray by creating similar structures and names across the website.
You may have noticed that such bogus websites have been appearing even as gossiplanka.com which shows a resemblance to our website by using letters, parts of lines coming in between them etc.
The couple in question had engaged in this racket have been nabbed for having deceived people to the tune of about 20 million Rupees having created a duplicate website personifying the legal Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau by announcing job opportunities in Korea through this site.
They had engaged in this racket by creating the website -- www.slbflanka.com resembling the legal website of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau -- www.slbe.lk and if someone was to browse through Google search engine to locate Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau by logging in to www.slbf; immediately this bogus website appears on the screen of the computer. As such, one automatically happens to log into that bogus website.
The structure of both these websites are almost the same and and at first glance it is difficult to differentiate Minister Dilan's photo as well as details of the Bureau. But prominence or focus is given by this bogus website to sending people to Korea. While there is a section where various slides are seen flitting across when on this bogus website, what is seen is only the announcement of job opportunities in Korea. The website concerned has arranged everything in a manner where those who wish to apply for the job thinking that it is the genuine website obviously dream of going to Korea and proceed to seek further information and they are ultimately requested to register with the website. The racketeers manipulating this website have directed the procedures involved in such a manner that information of the applicant streams into their hands.
Subsequently, they also provide a telephone number to the applicant and they in turn phone the racketeers after which an account number is given to the applicant to deposit the money and the depositor is requested to send the relevant receipt of deposit. As such, when the money is thus deposited to the account, the applicant is notified that preparations are underway to leave to Korea within 2 weeks.
Accordingly, when a number of such applicants who deposited the money found that their journey is being delayed, they had informed the police in which instance the police had initially taken steps to contact the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau. After the police were informed that no such information or announcement was displayed over their website, they had extracted the relevant particulars from the victims of this racket whereby they were asked to visit this website from where they got this information. Subsequently the police were able to locate the bogus website address of the racketeers.
It was after this revelation that the Computer Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department were able to find further information about those who were operating this fraudulent website. A husband and wife combination as well as 3 others who thus deceived various individuals of the public operated this scam on the pretense of sending them to Korea and finally swindled them for a sum of about 20 crores and they were taken into custody by officers of the CID day-before-yesterday.
This racket has been launched by one Darshana Udara resident in Panadura area. He had been married to a Muslim national and had later appeared under a Muslim name and had after that operated this racket with her connivance, from Dehiwala area, as revealed by now. As such, she too had been arrested and on interrogation it was found that another female by the name of Thushari Kingston Dilhani also was connected to this racket and she had earned a sum of Rs. 10 million after which she scooted to Italy.
On interrogating the said couple, it was understood that this bogus website was created by a person living in Ratmalana by the name of Tharanga Perera for a fee of Rs. 50,000. Thus he too ended up in the hands of the long arm of the law.
It has been found that this racket had been in operation for a 3 month period by these suspects and the police have requested them to come to the CID today (9) with the receipts of the money credited by the victims.
The police inform the public that further information could be obtained across phone number 011 2320145 and when logging into a website and after confirming that it is the correct website, to maintain connection with that website.
It is learned that the suspects are expected to be produced before Colombo Magistrate Court today (9) and that steps are being taken to track the other female suspect who had fled to Italy, with the assistance of the International Police.
Post-script
You may have noticed that bogus websites similar to: gossiplankanews.com our government registered website too are being operated with the use of letters used in between and with lines etc. These bogus websites also operate with the motive of hoodwinking the public by personifying us. We have notified the police about these ungainly acts and inquiries in this connection are underway. If you readers are aware of any further information about such fraudulent activities carried but by such parties appearing in the guise of Gossip Lanka, we kindly request you to email us and thus co-operate with the investigations that are being conducted.
--Editor--