Mumbai: A lawyer, a student, a housewife, and a share broker from the city collectively lost over Rs 1.3 crore to cyber crime. Cyber Crime Unit has registered four FIRs.
In the first case, a lawyer fell prey to a stock trading scam, losing Rs 27.09 lakh. The fraudsters posed as representatives of a stock brokerage firm. They added the lawyer to a WhatsApp group. Under the guise of ‘Priyanka Singh’, the scammers shared a fraudulent link, leading the lawyer to download a fake trading app that simulated a trading environment, showing fabricated profits to build trust. The lawyer transferred Rs 27.09 lakh to multiple accounts controlled by the scammers. The fraud came to light after the scammers stopped chatting with him.
The second case involved a student lured into a fake part-time job scheme via Telegram, resulting in a loss of Rs 21.19 lakh.The student was directed to a fake investment website promising lucrative returns for completing online tasks. Each task demanded upfront payments, and the platform displayed false profits. The student transferred money and after a point, the scammers disappeared.
In the third case, a share broker lost Rs 28.68 lakh in a stock trading app scam. The fraudsters posed as officials of a financial services company. They added the broker to a WhatsApp group. The broker was told to download two apps which displayed imaginary profits, tricking the broker. The broker made payments of Rs 28.68 lakh. Once the final transfer was done, the scammers cut all communication, leaving the broker with no access to the ‘profits’ shown on the apps.
The fourth case saw a housewife fall victim to a “prepaid task” scam on WhatsApp, losing Rs 45.37 lakh. The scammers added her to a group offering high commission to finish tasks, promising profits. She transferred money to multiple accounts. After the final payment, neither the promised profits nor commission was delivered.
The Cyber Crime Unit has urged citizens to be extremely cautious online, and said people must avoid unsolicited job offers.