An assistant professor from a renowned Vile Parle-based engineering college lost Rs 2,000 to a cyber fraudster who posed as the principal and asked him to buy stationery via a specific link. In his complaint lodged at the Juhu police station on December 22, 33-year-old Ashok Patade said that he first received an email in October on his official email address.
How the con unfolded
Impersonating the college principal, the con asked Patade to send his WhatsApp number. Unsuspecting, he emailed his contact details. Subsequently, he started receiving WhatsApp messages from a number having the principal's profile in the display picture. The fraudster asked Patade to buy stationery from Amazon while promising to reimburse the purchase amount. Next, the con sent a link for completing the task.
Victim learns of the fraud
The complainant followed the instructions and paid Rs 2,000 via the link. However, when he met the principal in person, he was shocked to know that the former neither sent him email nor WhatsApp messages. With regards to delay in filing the complaint, Patade said that he could not do so due to work commitments.
