Mumbai: In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a 27-year-old man from Bandra West was tricked into paying ₹1.80 lakh by scammers who falsely promised him a free iPhone 15 as a gift. Based on the victim’s complaint, the Bandra Police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and launched an investigation.
According to Bandra Police, the victim had ordered sunscreen products from the website dr.sheth's.com on March 16. The product was delivered on March 18.
On the night of March 20, around 10 PM, the victim received a call from an individual claiming to be from Dr. Sheth's Sales and Promotions Department. The caller informed him that he had won an iPhone 15 as a gift from the company. However, to claim the gift, he was asked to pay ₹13,990 along with an additional ₹5,000 as a coupon charge, which the caller promised would be refunded later.
Trusting the scammer, the victim transferred the money online. However, the caller claimed he had not received the payment and convinced the victim to retransfer the amount multiple times.
On March 21, when the victim called the same number to demand a refund, the fraudster dodged his requests. Soon after, the victim noticed two unauthorized transactions of ₹75,000 each from his bank account, bringing the total loss to ₹1.80 lakh. Realizing he had been scammed, he immediately approached the Bandra Police Station and filed a complaint.
The Bandra Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the BNS and Information Technology Act. They are tracing the scammer's contact details, bank accounts, and online footprints. The investigation into the cyber fraud case is ongoing.
