In a disturbing case of digital financial crime, a resident of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, losing Rs 2.87 lakh to fraudsters who lured him via an Instagram advertisement promising lucrative returns through stock market trading and online tasks.
According to the police, the victim came across a sponsored advertisement on Instagram promising daily earnings of up to Rs 20,000 through work-from-home tasks and stock investments. Upon clicking the link, he was redirected to a Telegram channel where fraudsters posing as financial advisors instructed him to perform minor tasks and deposit small amounts.
The Modus Operandi Behind the Scam
To gain the victim's trust, the fraudsters initially allowed him to deposit Rs 1,000 and promptly transferred Rs 1,500 back into his bank account as purported profit. Encouraged by this quick gain, the victim deposited a total of Rs 2.87 lakh in multiple transactions into various bank accounts provided by the scammers.
The fraudsters created a fake online dashboard showing the victim's accumulated profit as over Rs 6 lakh. However, when the victim attempted to withdraw the money, the platform requested an additional Rs 50,000 under the guise of clearance taxes. Realizing he was being duped, the victim refused to pay further and was promptly blocked from all channels.
"The fraudsters used mule bank accounts and spoofed trading dashboards to mislead the victim. We have registered a case and initiated technical analysis of the transaction trails and phone numbers used in the crime." — Aligarh Cyber Crime Official
Police Investigation and Precautionary Guidelines
Following a formal complaint, the Aligarh Cyber Crime Police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code. Technical experts are tracing the bank account details, UPI handles, and digital footprints of the perpetrators.
Police authorities and cyber security experts have urged citizens to remain vigilant against dubious online investment schemes. Officials emphasized that no SEBI-registered financial institution guarantees double returns overnight via messaging apps. Citizens who fall prey to such frauds are advised to immediately report the crime by calling the national cyber helpline at 1930 or logging onto cybercrime.gov.in within the first few hours of the transaction.
