A 45-year-old Sanpada resident, who was trying to rent his flat in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, through an online property website, was duped for Rs 99,000 by a cyber fraudster. The fraudster, who showed interest in renting his flat, tricked him on the pretext of sending an advance payment.
The complainant who runs a chemist shop stays at sector 4 in Sanpada in Navi Mumbai. Last month, he had given on rent his Ghatkopar home leaving. In order to rent his house, he put up an advertisement on a property website.
According to police, soon after he put an advertisement, he received a call who identified himself as Sanjay Singh and claimed working with the Indian Army in Pune and he urgently needed the home as he was transferred to Mumbai. The fraudster wanted to make an advance payment as a deposit of Rs 1,00,000 and sought bank details. He also sent his Aadhar card, Pan card, and defense canteen card with the name of Sanjay Singh.
The fraudster then asked the complainant to first add his bank details in his bank app. “The fraudster cheated him by saying that there a machine in his canteen and when he transfers money to his account, the money first goes to the machine and returns the double amount immediately,” said an official from Turbhe police station. The complainant transferred Rs 5 and he immediately got back Rs 10.
Later, the complainant transferred Rs 25,000 three times and Rs 24000 one time, a total of Rs 99,000. However, he did not get back the money. When he called him back, the fraudster asked to make the payment again as he had given the current account instead of the saving account number and the money was truck, now giving a saving account. The fraudster also warned, if he did not deposit Rs 1 lakh again, the previous deposit money will disappear from the machine.
Finding suspicious, the complainant called the bank and requested to block his phone banking operation for the moment and approached the police. Turbhe police registered a case of cheating under section 420 of IPC and section 66 D of the IT act.