Mira-Bhayander: An online stock fraud costs a banker ₹31 lakh
Mira-Bhayander: A 43-year-old banker on Mira Road was the most recent victim of cybercriminals who defrauded him of over Rs. 31 lakh by pretending to be giving advice on how to make large gains from stock trading. The complainant, an executive officer at a global investment banking firm, told the police in his statement that on January 20, 2024, he got a message on his WhatsApp account from an unknown individual asking whether he was interested in going into the stock trading industry. The complaint was connected to a WhatsApp group after providing an affirmative response. During a conversation with one of the group administrators, the complainant was instructed to click a link to install a trading program in order to get free buy and sell suggestions for a variety of stocks, which would allow him to make significant returns on his investment.
The complainant fell victim to the scam and, over the course of three months, from January 20 to April 19, this year, transferred a total of Rs. 31.10 lakh to designated bank accounts. The complaint was not able to get their money back, even though the application showed that they had made money. When he got in touch with the admin, she informed him that he would need to send an additional Rs. 5 lakh before he could make the withdrawal.
The complainant’s phone was taken out of the group and the application stopped working after he acknowledged his incapacity. When the banker realized he had been duped, he filed a complaint with the cyber cell right away. On Saturday, the cybercriminals were charged with a crime under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the IPC at the Naya Nagar police station in Mira Road.
There were ongoing investigations. The MBVV police have been warning the public not to open unsolicited links, divulge personal information such as one-time passwords (OTP), or transact money with strangers who are promoting fraudulent investment schemes on social media platforms.
