Scammers regularly harvest new ways to dupe people in India. Apart from the regular part-time video liking and hotel rating jobs, a fresh method comes in the form of investment in cryptocurrency. This came to light when a software engineer reported he was cheated by a woman who scraped away Rs 1.34 crore from him via a cryptocurrency fraud.
According to a TOI report, Kuldeep Patel, who lives in Saijpur-Bogha in Ahmedabad, said that he sent a request to this woman on a matrimonial platform in June. Patel is employed as a team leader in a software company in Gandhinagar.
Also Read: ‘Reach Out When You Read My Text’, New Message Fraud Grips WhatsApp In India; Details
The alleged profile (of the scammer) of Aditi Patel told the techie that she lived in Maninagar and was engaged in an import-export business in the United Kingdom. Later, the profile owner shared a screengrab of Banocoin, a form of cryptocurrency and asked the man to invest for good returns.
Users are advised not to engage in transactions with people they meet online. (Image:Pexels)
Based on the request, he did as said and reached out to a customer service person to register on the website. While he received profits as expected in the beginning and was successful in withdrawing them. Assuming it to be genuine, he kept investing and engaged in a total of 18 transactions until the end of August.
Also Read: Facebook Dating Scam: Woman Loses $200,000 Life Savings In Search For Love; Here’s What Happened And How You Can Stay Safe
When he requested to withdraw Rs 2.59 lakh, he was told that the profile was frozen. Once he reached out to customer care, he was asked to invest Rs 35 lakh to resume activity on his account. The software engineer’s request for help to Aditi went unheard. Comprehending it to be a fraud, the man reached out to the cyber crime cell.
Investment Scams In India: How To Be Safe?
Do not engage in transactions with people you meet online. Conduct a thorough check before taking the next step in such cases. Moreover, a user is also advised not to share personal details with any online profile without proper verification.
