A west Delhi resident lost over eighty lakh rupees in a sophisticated online business scam (Representative image)
NEW DELHI: What started as a casual conversation on a dating app slowly unfolded into a cyber trap, leaving a 41-year-old west Delhi resident poorer by over Rs 80 lakh. The man first transferred Rs 10,000 to an account. Later, he was able to withdraw around Rs 2 lakh, which reinforced his belief that the online business was genuine and that his money was safe. The man was told that the value of his account credit had fallen and that he needed to deposit $25,000 (nearly Rs 24 lakh) to restore access to certain benefits. Overall, he claimed to have transferred around Rs 82.5 lakh to different accounts controlled by the accused. To resolve the issue, he was asked to pay another $35,000 (Rs 34 lakh) as margin deposit.
The man came in contact with a woman, who introduced herself as Luna, last year, according to his complaint. He was added to a group, where he was introduced to a woman named Bella.
The victim was drawn into a web of promises about an online business and huge profits before being persuaded to transfer the money, mostly through cryptocurrency, police said. After gaining his confidence, she allegedly told him that she was earning substantial profits by operating an online store through a mobile app and encouraged him to start a similar business. Later, he was told that his “collaboration” with staffers of the group was detected and that his withdrawals were restricted.
She claimed to be a Singapore national working with an MNC in Bengaluru. The conversation soon moved to WhatsApp. He was then persuaded to use cryptocurrency platforms for transferring subsequent amounts. He allegedly made the payment. When he smelled a rat, he was removed from the WhatsApp group. His access to the profile was blocked, leaving him unable to withdraw his money. It was then he realised that it was a carefully constructed fraud and approached police. A case was registered.
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