Indore News: Senior Citizen Duped Of ₹10.4 Lakh Fraud By ‘Scottish Woman’ Befriended On Facebook

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A senior citizen in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore was tricked by cyber fraudsters posing as a Scottish woman on Facebook. He lost ₹10.43 lakh, the police reported on Saturday.

It is said that the accused lured the victim by promising gifts from abroad. Later, he received fake calls from fraudsters claiming to be from the customs department from Delhi airport. This is when he was duped of money.

As soon as informed, Aerodrome Police registered a case and started an investigation into the matter.

What was the matter?

According to police, 67-year-old Ashok Kumar, a retired officer from Om Vihar Colony, received a friend request on Facebook from someone claiming to be Dr. Lisa Davis from Scotland. Over time, their online friendship grew.

The 'fake’ woman then promised to send a gift from abroad. Later, the victim received several fake calls from people claiming to be customs officers at Delhi airport. 

The fraudsters said the parcel contained dollars, and a ‘processing fee’ had to be paid to release it. Using different excuses, they repeatedly took money from Ashok Kumar, totaling ₹10.43 lakh.

Victim’s bank account blocked

Suspicious of the continuous money demands, Ashok Kumar informed his son, who helped him file a complaint at Aerodrome Police Station. 

The police have blocked the accounts used to transfer the money and are identifying the accused. Arrests are expected soon.

After the incident the police urged the citizens not to accept friend requests from strangers, to be careful of requests for money under the pretext of gifts or parcels from abroad, to stay alert to calls from people claiming to be customs officials and report any suspicious calls or links immediately.