A contractor in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, has reportedly lost ₹1.27 lakh in a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme that began with a seemingly innocuous Facebook friend request. The victim, Kamalkant Yadav, was lured into a fake foreign currency exchange deal by fraudsters posing as a woman from London.
The Deception Unfolds: From Facebook to WhatsApp
The elaborate scam began on April 24 when Yadav accepted a friend request on Facebook from a profile named “Lucy Charles.” Over time, the individual behind the profile cultivated Yadav's trust before moving their conversations to WhatsApp, where the scammer adopted the alias “Dr Patricia R Medicine.”
During their WhatsApp chats, the fraudster claimed to be a London resident planning a visit to India. She told Yadav she would be bringing 95,000 British pounds and sought his assistance in converting the foreign currency into Indian rupees. Believing he could earn a substantial commission from this exchange, Yadav continued engaging with the scammer.
The 'Airport Parcel' Ploy and Financial Demands
The fraud escalated on April 27 when Yadav received a call from another woman, who introduced herself as an employee at Mumbai airport. She informed him that a parcel containing foreign currency had arrived in his name and required payment of registration charges for clearance.
Under various pretexts, including registration, clearance, and processing fees, the fraudsters began extracting money from Yadav. He initially transferred ₹38,500 as registration charges. Subsequently, an additional ₹88,600 was taken through multiple transactions, bringing the total amount defrauded to approximately ₹1.27 lakh.
Victim Realizes Scam, Police Initiate Investigation
Kamalkant Yadav only realized he had been cheated when the accused demanded a further ₹70,000. He promptly lodged a complaint on the national cybercrime helpline number 1930. The Madhya Pradesh Police have since registered an e-zero FIR under provisions of the IT Act against unidentified accused. Shakti Singh Yadav, the in-charge of Jhansi Road police station, confirmed that an investigation into the cyber fraud case is underway.
This incident highlights the growing threat of online scams, urging individuals to exercise extreme caution when interacting with unknown profiles on social media and to verify any requests involving money or personal information.