Academician retired from Andhra Pradesh reportedly almost lost £2 Crore in a sophisticated scheme of cyber fraud, after being added to the WhatsApp group offering fraudulent investment counseling, The Times of India reported.
Dr. M. Batmanabane Mounissamy, former director and professor of prestigious Jawaharal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (IPMER), filed a police complaint on 18 June and described in detail how cheaters were cheated as representatives of NUVAM, published publications.
Reportedly the incident began when Dr. Mounissamy added to the WhatsApp Group called “H-10 Nuvama Health Group”, which promised dedicated tips and professional instructions for investment. Given his existing investments in the real funds of Nuvama, formerly known as Edelweiss, the professor assumed that the group was authentic and associated with a real company.
According to his complaint, a woman named “Kangana” soon addressed him privately and claimed that she was coming from Nuvama. She convinced him to register on a website that reflected the brand of a real investment company. Did not know about his fraudulent nature, the professor made an initial investment £10,000 19th April and received £13 000 in return, calculated the thrust of fraudsters to create confidence.
Dr. Mounissamy continued in the coming weeks that was this apparent profit, transferred a total and transferred a total £1.9 Crore, what he believed that they were high -performance portfolios, the report said. Until the end of May, the false platform introduced the account balance £35 crore. However, when he tried to download £5 crore, was asked to pay a hefty “processing fees” initially £32 Lakh, which was later reduced to 25 % of the amount.
Desperate to load his resources, the professor transferred another £7.9 Lakh. Yet the withdrawal remained blocked. Other attempts to obtain their money led to communication with another fraudster who claimed to be the manager of Ashish Kehair. Despite the repeated assurance, no funds were returned.
Only after these interactions have failed and other requirements have been made to get Dr. Mounissamy realized he had been the victim of a complicated fraud.
This case contributes to a growing number of incidents with computer fraud concerning nothing of unsuspecting individuals who add to WhatsApp groups that sell false investment schemes. Many such frauds rely on partial knowledge of the victim with real financial institutions to make them look credible.
Authorities and cyber security experts urge citizens to be vigilant online. They warn against credible unsolicited investment counseling, especially through informal channels such as WhatsApp. Ill fraudsters are increasingly used by social media platforms and messaging applications to create the illusion of legitimacy and attract people with promises of fast and high yields.
“Always verify the source of any investment opportunity and stay clicking on suspicious links or engaging online contacts online,” said a computer crime worker. “If it sounds too good to be true, it is usually.”
The police have initiated an investigation into this matter and efforts to monitor fraudsters and the restoration of stolen funds are underway.
(tagstotranslate) Cyber Fraud
