A few weeks ago, social media users were left stunned after former NDTV reporter Nidhi Razdan revealed that she had been the victim of a massive scam. Six months earlier, she had quit her job to take up a teaching assignment with Harvard University - a fact that was covered my several news articles and which Razdan herself told all and sundry online.
But the job at Harvard did not exist. And while the journalist went through an extensive screening process, it was never with actual employees of the University. "I have now learnt that I have been the victim of a sophisticated and coordinated phishing attack. I did not, in fact, receive an offer by Harvard University to join their faculty as an Associate Professor of Journalism," she told people.
And as many people sent consolatory messages and others tried to make sense of the situation, Twitter trolls came out in droves to mock Razdan. While some wondered how a journalist had not done her homework before accepting the position, others marvelled that a "well-connected woman like Nidhi Razdan" couldn't see though a scam for months.
Now, many of the same critics are backtracking, affected in different ways by the recent iPhone scam. The controversy pertains to an individual named Neel Patel who has been accused of scamming people with the lure of cheaply priced iPhone 11 sets.
Many including OpIndia journalist Nupur Sharma had become embroiled in the debacle - a fact that had instantly prompted netizens to dig out her scathing take on Razdan's situation.
And as the debate continues, some on the social media platform say there is a lesson to be learnt here.
"Those persistently mocking Nidhi are now subject to the iPhone scam! I wish the perpetrators are caught and punished, just as I had wished in Nidhi's case. However, when someone is in pain, it's better to be humane then a staunch ideologue. Should serve as a lesson to all," tweeted Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi.
He is not alone.
While some are determined to haul up Razdan's critics, others appear to be looking with glee at the situation.
Take a look at some of the posts:
