With scams increasing at an all-time high in the current constantly evolving technological landscape, it is vital to stay cautious of one’s online presence and surroundings. Recently, a 61-year-old retired bank employee turned into a victim of cyber fraud. The victim was promised high returns on stock market investments and lost more than 1 crore in the process.

How Did The WhatsApp Group Scam Start?

In February, the victim had come across a Facebook advertisement regarding share trading. She then clicked on a link mentioned in the post. The link was directed to join a WhatsApp group that advised her to buy IPO and BSE shares through them.

The victim was then invited to join a VIP group by a lady named Angeeta Kumari. She was then told that her international trading account had been sanctioned and needed her Aadhaar Card details next. Without any suspicion, the victim gave her Aadhaar Card details away.

Next, the victim was asked to click on another invitation code link that directed her to a ‘share trading’ firm’s webpage.

In March, the suspicious activities began. The victim was asked to pay Rs 32 Lakh as tax. Then later she was asked to pay Rs 95 Lakh as tax. This time, the victim grew a bit suspicious and asked Kumari to deduct the tax amount from the total profit she had made. The victim also asked to give her the rest of the amount after deducting tax, but Kumari refused.

Even after growing suspicious, the victim still decided to trust Kumari and sent her Rs 30 Lakh. The victim then informed that she wanted to withdraw her funds but Kumari demanded an additional Rs 5 Lakh as a service fee.

The victim ultimately lost more than Rs 1 crore before she decided to take action against it. She had exhausted all her savings and finally decided to go to the police and file a case under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

How To Stay Cautious Of Such Scams?

Here are some effective tips that can aid you in staying cautious of such scams.

• Never respond to messages asking for personal or financial details.

• Never click on links that you don’t know about.

• Remember that legitimate organisations would never ask people to send personal details via message.

• Use strong passwords and set up two-factor authentication.

• Always be suspicious of random numbers to stay ahead.

• Even while sharing personal details via message or call, make sure you know and trust the person.

• Always stay up-to-date with the news to be aware of the various kinds of scams.

• Be suspicious of any deals offered that sound too good to be true.

Conclusion

The fact is— it is very important to stay safe when surfing the internet. Therefore, always be cautious of your activity on the internet to stay safe. And, if you get any offers that sound too good to be true, it probably is. In case of any suspicious activities, it is recommended to contact higher authorities immediately.

To report a scam, visit the Cyber Crime Portal, or call 112 or 1930.