Two women, in separate cases, were befriended on Facebook, one with the promise of marriage and other with opening a joint business
In two separate cyber fraud incidents, a 38-year-old woman working as an assistant manager in a private company and a homemaker fell for a trap on Facebook and lost Rs 5 lakh and Rs 70,000 respectively. Both the case is registered at Vile Parle police station.
According to the police, in the first incident, the victim who got divorced from her husband was approached by a cyber-fraudster impersonating as a UK born marine engineer who wanted to marry her and duped her of Rs 5 lakh by telling her that he has sent gifts for her and she needs to pay the amount as custom clearance. The victim told the cops that she had received a friend request on Facebook on August 10 this year.
The duo started chatting and exchanged numbers after which the accused then started making WhatsApp calls. He then got a woman to speak with the victim who posed as his mother and said her son wanted to marry her.
The duo said they will be coming to meet her in October to talk about the marriage. On September 15, she received photos of gifts like a purse, gold chain, watch, wedding ring, nightgown, mobile, and 45,000 pounds. She was told that a customs official will call and she will have to get it cleared.
Next day, the victim received a call from an Indian impersonating as a customs official from Delhi International Airport and asked to pay the fee to clear the gifts. At some or the other pretext like clearance fees, fines, taxes like GST he made her pay Rs 5 lakh.
When he asked for more the woman denied paying and tried calling on the WhatsApp number of the UK national which was unreachable. She then approached Vile Parle police station.
In the second case, a homemaker fell to a similar fraud where the fraudster impersonating a London citizen befriended her on Facebook and made her pay Rs 70,000 as custom clearance for Rs 25 lakh he bought for her and got stuck at the Airport.
The complainant approached the Vile Parle police last week and lodged an FIR alleging she was duped last December.
A fraud impersonating as customs official then called her and she ended up paying Rs 70,000 to release him.
The woman then kept calling him but he said he is in jail now. The woman realised she has been conned but kept quiet as it was a small amount.
A police official said,"We have registered the FIRs and will try to trace the accused."
FACEBOOK FOE
- Two women, in separate cases, were befriended on Facebook, one with the promise of marriage and other with opening a joint business
- Both 38-yr-old were duped of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 70,000 respectively under pretext of custom clearances on airport
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