A 49-year-old jewellery exporter from Malabar Hill area has become the latest victim of online fraud when he was duped to the tune of Rs 51,000. The fraudster cheated him after threatening to circulate obscene advertisements of his name on internet.
According to the Malabar Hill police, on Wednesday night the businessman received an unknown call, the caller was demanding money for an escort services which as per the caller he used a day ago. When the businessman denied using any such services the call threatened him and send him a link.
When he opened the link, he was shocked to find his mobile number on an obscene photograph with obscene text. The businessman immediately called the fraudster and asked him to remove the link, however the fraudster demanded Rs 3000 for the job.
After receiving the payment, fraudster demanded another Rs 19,900, when denied, the fraudster told the businessman that he will get a call from the crime branch. After disconnecting the call, the businessman started getting multiple calls from different numbers in connection with the obscene advertisement. To settle the matter, the businessman paid the amount however, the matter was far from over.
The fraudster then demanded another Rs 42,000, however, this time the businessman clearly stated that he does not have that much money. The fraudster then agreed to settle for a lesser amount and asked him to pay Rs 28,768. However, even after paying the money, the fraudster continued to demand money.
Fed up with the continuous harassment at the hands of the fraudster, the businessman finally approached the Malabar Hill police station and registered his complaint. "We have registered an offence under the IPC section of cheating (420), extortion (384) and under the Information Technology Act and our investigation is underway," said an official.
