How a Woman lost Rs 1.2 crore in an Investment scam – and why she felt she had no choice
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : A 61-year-old government official from Shahdara has fallen victim to a major investment scam losing Rs 1.2 crore to fraudsters pretending to be representatives of a fake UK-based online shopping platform. The scam started in October last year when the victim was contacted on social media by someone posing as a successful seller on the platform. The fraudster convinced her to invest offering high returns and over the next 78 days the woman ended up investing her entire savings.
The scammer continued communicating through WhatsApp providing instructions on how to invest. The victim began fulfilling orders for the platform with her own funds handling 56 orders worth around Rs 1 crore. Initially the platform showed her a significant profit. However when she tried to withdraw her earnings the scammers set up roadblocks, claiming she had missed certain deadlines and damaged her credit score. To fix this they demanded Rs 35 lakh. Desperate to recover her funds the woman agreed to pay.
After making this payment the scammers continued to demand more money asking for an additional Rs 34.5 lakh to allow her to withdraw the funds. To meet these demands the woman took out loans against her provident fund. Despite paying the scammers delayed the withdrawal, using various excuses to prevent her from accessing her money.
The woman only realized she had been scammed after consulting a cousin in the UK who confirmed that the platform was fraudulent. She has since filed a complaint with the police who are investigating the matter.
Experts advise individuals to carefully verify the legitimacy of online platforms before making any investments. Caution should be exercised with unknown contacts on social media offering financial advice. Thorough research and consultation with trusted experts are essential before making significant financial decisions. Additionally promises of exceptionally high returns should raise suspicion as they are often a sign of a scam.
