Haryana man loses Rs 4 crore to fraudsters after downloading link from WhatsApp

Haryana man loses Rs 4 crore to fraudsters after downloading link from WhatsApp

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Scammers target people who use digital platforms.

Scammers target people who use digital platforms.

The man along with his wife invested a total of 4.2 Crore Rupees (approximately USD 5,30,000).

A retired Brigadier named Mahendra Singh, a resident of DLF Valley in Panchkula, Haryana, had no idea that he was trapped when he received a stock market investment notification on WhatsApp. He reportedly received a message on WhatsApp giving him some tips on investing in the stock market. There was also a link to an app in the message. He was asked to download an app using this link. It was written that by downloading the app from there one can earn additional income on the stock market. Mahendra Singh believed this news and downloaded the app. Initially, he invested more than 1 Crore Rupees (about $125,000). Later, his wife also joined in the investment and together they invested a total of Rs 4.2 Crore (approximately USD 5,30,000).

For a while everything seemed fine. There were constant updates and reassurances. When the Brigadier wanted to withdraw his investment, he became suspicious. The fraudsters demanded a commission of 65 lakh rupees (approximately $81,250) for the withdrawal. This demand made it clear to the brigadier that he had been deceived. He lodged a complaint with the Haryana Cyber ​​Crime Police.

After receiving the complaint, Haryana Police began investigation and found that it was part of a larger international scam. According to the report, the masterminds of this complex cyber fraud were based in the US and the UK. These criminals carried out a well-planned operation. They transferred money to the bank accounts of people in India’s border villages. The money was transferred to them from there earlier. For this work, they also paid account holders a commission of 4,000 to 10,000 rupees for every 1 lakh rupees (about $1,250). This case is still under investigation.

According to reports, two people were recently arrested and identified as Manpreet Singh and Karnail Singh. These people are residents of villages along the India-Pakistan border and have been remanded to police custody for four days for further investigation. Before their arrest, four other suspects had already been sent to prison.

How do you stay safe?

According to reports, one should be wary of random messages or calls, especially those offering financial advice. Verify the authenticity of the source before clicking a link or downloading an app.