JULY 4, 2023
Online scams seem to be on the rise more than ever as more reports of new fraud are coming up. People are losing lakhs in the form of cases involving part-time job offers, courier fraud, PhonePe cashback offers, and many more. In a fresh incident, it has been discovered that a woman who holds an MBA degree was duped of more than 37 lakh for an expensive gift. Here is what happened.
In a distressing incident, a 32-year-old woman from Pune was swindled out of Rs 37.88 lakh by an individual she met on a popular matrimonial website. The victim promptly filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Talegaon Dabhade police station, revealing the details of the deceitful encounter.
According to the FIR, the accused, masquerading as an employee of a prominent UK-based company, had fabricated an impressive profile on the matrimonial site. Falsely claiming plans to settle in Mumbai soon, he managed to captivate the victim’s interest, leading her to believe in the prospects of a future marriage.
After the woman agreed to marry the fraudster, he informed her about an extravagant gift he intended to send via courier. Shortly thereafter, she received a phone call from a person in Delhi, alleging that the gift had arrived at the airport but required a payment of Rs 38,000 for customs charges.
Trusting the scammer, the woman transferred the specified amount to a bank account provided by the fraudulent caller. However, her ordeal continued when she received another call, purportedly from an official at the Delhi airport. This time, she was informed that the value of her gift amounted to an astounding Rs 3 crore. To claim it, she was coerced into making additional payments for various charges, with the threat of potential legal consequences hanging over her if she failed to comply.
Authorities revealed that the victim, an educated individual holding an MBA degree, had interacted with the fraudsters via WhatsApp using fictitious names. The police have registered a case against the culprits, as well as the individuals who operated the bank accounts employed in the fraudulent activity, under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Users are advised to be extra careful of cases that seem too good to be true and not trust them. For instance, you can’t expect a person you just met on a matrimonial site to send you a gift worth Rs 3 crore. This sounds exciting at first, but one should be mindful of what they are dealing with and whether they should go forward with it. If you have any doubts regarding a deal or any good job offer, then try to first confirm the credibility of it through official sources and trusted friends.
Courtesy/Source: India Today / PTI
