Mumbai, February 9: In an incident of cyber crime, a Mumbai man lost Rs 11 lakh to a woman from the United Kingdom whom he met on social media. The 29-year-old resident of Mumbai’s Powai area even took a loan to help the woman. The man, who had worked at a five-star hotel in Mumbai, lost his job due to COVID-19 lockdown. Haryana Man Duped of Rs 25 Lakh by Relatives on Pretext of Securing Job in US.

In December last year, he received a friend request on Facebook from the woman. She claimed that she was from the UK and worked at a winery. According to a report published in Mumbai Mirror, both exchanged numbers and started doing WhatsApp calling. The woman told the victim that she wanted to start a business in India and wanted her help. Online Fraud: 68-Year-Old Bengaluru Man Duped of Rs 7 Lakh While Booking Flight Ticket on Mobile App.

The woman expressed her wish to buy a farm for fishery business. The man then advised her to physically come down to India and then decide. “After a few days, she asked for my residential address, and informed me that she had sent me a valuable gift as well as 50,000 pounds [Rs 50 lakh] via air cargo for setting up the business,” reported the media house quoting the victim as saying.

One day, the man reportedly received a call from a woman identifying herself as a customs official. She told the victim that had illegally imported foreign currency 50,000 pounds, and the parcel was seized by the customs department. She then said that if the man wanted to receive the foreign exchange, he had to pay a fee. Later, the woman asked for his email ID. Instagram Friend Dupes Bengaluru Resident of Rs 11 lakh on Pretext of Gifting Her Jewellery from London.

On the email, the man received a document with the Reserve Bank of India’s stamp on it. In the document, it was mentioned that the man had to pay a fee to avoid action against him. Even his Facebook friend also insisted the victim to pay the fee so that he could get the parcel and the money.

The UK woman even promised to pay the fee back. The victim told the media house that he paid a total of Rs 11 lakh. He even borrowed money from friends and relatives and sold jewellery of his mother and wife to pay the fees. He lodged a complaint with Powai police as he did not receive the parcel even after paying the fees. The police has launched an operation to trace the fraudsters.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 09, 2021 07:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).