Trader loses 2.17 lakh to cyber fraud

Cyber fraudsters posing as bank officials duped a 77year-old senior citizen from South Mumbai bases of Rs 2.17 lakh. The cyber fraudsters approached the trader who wanted to surrender his life insurance policies, on the pretext of helping him in the process and to return his premium, and cheated him.

In February, he received a call from one Rakesh Sharma. Sharma posed as an executive and asked the trader whether he wanted to surrender the policies. Sharma asked him to pay one more premium for both the policies after which Sharma told him that he would receive the entire amount, claimed the trader. As per Sharma directions, the trader transferred Rs 95,000 and Rs 50,000 as a premium amount in the accounts given by Sharma.

In March, the trader received a call from an unknown number once again by a person posing as a bank official. The man told the trader that his refund was pending as he was yet to pay for the GST charges. The trader again fell for the trap and ended up transferring 72,300 to the account shared by the 'official'.

For over a month nothing was processed and later the trader tried calling Sharma who did not respond. The trader then approached the bank only to realise that Sharma was not a bank official, and that he was duped.

Based on the trader's complaint, Gamdevi police registered an offence of cyber cheating on Friday. We are in the process of writing to the banks and asking them details of accounts in which the money was deposited, said a police officer from Gamdevi.