Crypto Trading Scam in Mumbai: Doctor Duped of Over Rs 1 Crore After Purchasing Cryptocurrencies on Instruction of 'Expert' Met on Facebook

Mumbai, October 27: A gynaecologist from central Mumbai fell victim to an online scam losing a substantial amount of Rs 1.1 crore to an impersonator he had met on Facebook.  The unfortunate series of events started last year when a woman named Melissa Campbell pretending to be an expert in crypto trading messaged the doctor on Facebook and persuaded him to invest a hefty amount in crypto assuring him of good profit.

As per Times of India report On August 13, 2022, the doctor received a message in his Facebook messenger from Melissa Campbell. She shared her WhatsApp number with the doctor and guaranteed that his investment would generate good profit. After investing money for a year, the doctor realised he had been duped and decided to report the matter to the police. The victim had sent cryptocurrencies 32 times to the wallet address sent by Campbell, said police. Of Rs 1.1 crore spent online, Rs 79 lakh had come from his pocket and the rest was borrowed from a friend.  An FIR was registered for fraudulent activities under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and penalties for deceiving through impersonation via computer resources as per the Information Technology (IT) Act. The police are collecting information related to the wallet where the victim had transferred his cryptocurrencies. Online Fraud in Tamil Nadu: Fraudster Poses as Pilot, Dupes Coimbatore Woman of Rs 16 Lakh on Pretext of Marriage; Case Registered.

The doctor in his complaint told the police that he opened a trading account on crypto trading exchange and shared his personal details such as email id, driving license and mobile number as per Campbell's instructions. He also purchased BTC, ETH and USDT several times through his wallet address. Online Scam in Bengaluru: IT Professional Scammed for Rs 97,000 by Cybercriminals Posing as RTO and Mumbai Police Officials.

For profit the doctor transferred his cryptocurrencies to another wallet address. When he tried to redeem his money, he was told that he had to pay taxes and commission. The fraudsters kept demanding one thing or the other from the doctor. This continued till October 14. The doctor realised that he had fallen pray to the cruel deception of fraudsters. He later lodged a complaint in the police station.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2023 01:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).