FB ‘friend’ dupes man of ₹1.92 cr in crypto scam
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 23.02.2025
Ahmedabad : In an era where digital connections often blur the lines between trust and deception, a 48-year-old businessman from Ahmedabad learned a costly lesson. What began as a friendly Facebook interaction evolved into a sophisticated scam, stripping him of Rs 1.92 crore.
According to a complaint registered with the Cybercrime police on Friday, the fraud began in Aug 2024 when he received a friend request on his Facebook page from a woman claiming to be involved in gym equipment businesses in Dubai and Mumbai. The message read: "Hey, your profile caught my eye while checking my friends' suggestions and thought I would reach out. Can we get to know each other?"
He responded to her message and soon their chats transitioned to WhatsApp, where she introduced him to a lucrative cryptocurrency investment opportunity, allegedly advised by her uncle, a high-ranking official at an American financial firm. The businessman checked online and found that the company was legitimate. The complainant stated, “My initial investment of $ 500 yielded a profit of $ 250, which encouraged me to make further investments.”He was able to withdraw $1,000 which encouraged him to invest larger sums.
He eventually saw an online account balance of $677,806 (Rs 6 crore approximately). However, when attempting to withdraw Rs 77 lakh, he was asked to pay a 20% tax upfront. Subsequently, the woman became unreachable, and further research revealed the investment platform was fraudulent. Realizing he had been duped, with only Rs 92,000 returned from his Rs 1.92 crore investment, he reported the matter to the Cybercrime police.
A complaint for criminal conspiracy, cheating,criminal breach of trust, and cheating by impersonation against an unidentified person has been registered.
No comments:
Post a Comment