In yet another case of cyber fraduster duping people, a 29-year-old woman working as a content writer with a private firm in Mumbai was duped of more than Rs 1.36 lakh. In a complaint lodged with the Navghar police, the woman, a resident of Bhayandar stated that while going through her account through a social network sharing app, she received a link on her mobile phone, followed by a message on her WhatsApp number. The message and the link were sent reportedly by a woman who introduced herself as the representative of an international e-commerce company, which had launched a promotion drive offering lucrative commissions on completion of sale-related online tasks.
The complainant clicked the link and uploaded her details following which a cyber crook gave her a joining code and asked her to deposit Rs 200 for the first purchase to start work. The woman deposited the amount, followed by more purchases. To win the confidence and trust of the complainant, the crooks generated account statements of the commission earned by her who went on to transfer a total of Rs 1,36, 700 and her account showed a balance of Rs 1,80,000. However, she was neither able to withdraw the commission nor the invested amount. When enquired, the complainant was asked to complete another purchase task of Rs 50,000 to withdraw the profit.
Realising she was duped; the complainant registered a complaint with the Navghar police station. An offence under the relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act was registered against the cyber criminals on Thursday. The Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have appealed to people to refrain from carrying out any financial transactions with strangers or via unverified websites.
Further investigations were underway.
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