The next time you chat and share private contents with an unknown “friend”, be very careful else you could land in serious trouble. As people tend to spend more of their time surfing the internet and using social media platforms, online fraudsters have adopted a new modus operandi to dupe, blackmail and extort money from their targets.
A 24-year-old youth from Palghar district became the latest victim after falling prey to the evil designs of the fraudsters who used “Video Calling” facility as a tool for blackmail and extortion. However, the youth refused to succumb to the extortionist demands and promptly registered a complaint with the MBVV cops.
In his complaint to the police, the youth (name and place withheld to conceal identity) accepted a friend request sent to him by an unknown woman on his social media account early this month. After rounds of online chatting, the two exchanged mobile numbers. After gaining trust and confidence, the woman proposed her love to the youth and coaxed him to send nude pictures of himself via video calls.
After much reluctance, the youth complied and then started the blackmail. The video calls were recorded and sent to the youth with demands of money for not uploading the objectionable content on the internet.
However, when the youth refused to pay, the woman sent the video to some of his friends. Based on the complaint registered by the youth, the police have registered an offence under section 385 of the IPC for extortion and section 67A of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008. Further investigations were underway.
