Irony In Pune: Cyber Expert Falls Victim To ₹73 Lakh Online Trading Scam

Pune: A cybersecurity expert based in Pune has lost Rs 73 lakh in a cyber fraud that lasted a month, officials announced on Wednesday. The expert was also lured into the trap of huge profits in share trading. A complaint has been registered regarding this at the Cyber Police Station of Pune Police.

The victim works at a private company. He was added to a WhatsApp group that promoted stock tips that guaranteed huge returns. He was added to this WhatsApp group in August this year, after he received a message on WhatsApp from a number registered outside India. There were over 100 members in the group.

A police official said, "There were numerous members in the group. They apparently regularly shared the profits they made through the advice provided in the group. One of the admins told the victim to fill out a form and log in to a trading app. They promised them tips on profitable stocks."

A total of 55 transactions were made by the victim in the period from August 8 to September 1. He gave away a total of Rs 73.69 Lakhs. The money was transferred to mule accounts located in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Thane, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and other places.

The app, which the cybersecurity expert installed, showed him he had earned profits of Rs 2.33 crore. However, whenever he tried to withdraw, he couldn't. Cyber police said he was asked to pay some amount for that. He realised he had been duped and registered a complaint on Monday.