Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 01 December 2024
A 31-year-old woman from Diglipur has filed an FIR with the Cyber Crime Police Station of Andaman and Nicobar Police, accusing fraudsters of scamming her out of over ₹3.9 lakh.
In her written complaint to the Police, the victim explained that on 16th November 2024, she was introduced to a Telegram group promoting trading opportunities. The group, which was later deleted, included profiles under the names @Sunilekangi and @Financial_offices7, who lured her into investing.
The victim was added to a group called ‘Z-1117-Crude Oil Group,’ where the members convinced her to invest money, promising significant returns. She was then included in another group named ‘SVIP 97 – Merchant Order,’ alongside three other members. She was told to invest an equal amount of money, and, trusting the claims of profit, she began her investments. She initially invested ₹1,000 and received returns, which further fuelled her confidence.
However, when she invested ₹30,270, the scammers claimed there was an error and that her account had been frozen due to issues caused by another member. They demanded an additional ₹48,500 to unfreeze the account, followed by another ₹1,00,000, which the victim reluctantly paid.
As she attempted to withdraw her funds, the fraudsters instructed her to follow a four-step process. While she managed to withdraw ₹5,000, her account was frozen again, and they demanded ₹2,03,390 to unfreeze it. After paying the amount, they insisted on an additional ₹2,03,390 to increase her credit score from 90 to 100.
In total, the victim paid ₹3,95,720 in multiple instalments across various payment modes, but only received ₹5,000 in return. She has now realised that the entire investment scheme was a fraudulent operation, and the remaining ₹3,90,720 is still held by the scammers.
The victim has already lodged a complaint with the National Crime Reporting Portal and has provided the police with detailed transaction records. She has urged the authorities to take swift legal action against the perpetrators.
In her complaint, the victim listed all transactions, including payment methods, account numbers, and references, highlighting the deceptive nature of the fraud. She expressed her deep regret over falling victim to the scam and pleaded for immediate intervention.