Crypto Conman allegedly stole Rs. 24 Lakh from Mumbai Woman on matrimonial site

A Mumbai woman recently fell prey to notorious crypto scammers, who managed to trick her out of Rs. 24,000,000. Recently retired, the 60-year-old got in touch with her scammer through a matrimonial website. The scammer tricked the woman into investing in cryptocurrencies with promises of getting high returns on her investments. The correspondence between the victim and the scammer began around March last year. The woman, whose name has not been disclosed, realized that she had been scammed quite recently, which led her to file a complaint with the Mumbai Cyber ​​Cell.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the scammer told the victim he was an engineer based in the US and convinced her to invest in a crypto company. The scammer introduced the Mumbai woman to another person, who would ‘guide’ her regarding her investments.

Between April and December 2022, the woman poured around Rs. 24 lakh into this crypto business, according to the report. A virtual account was opened for him by the scammer, to facilitate transactions. The account status of his virtual account reportedly reflected a balance of Rs. 52 lakh, boosting his confidence in his knowledge.

Earlier this year, when the woman wished to withdraw some of her capital, the scammers asked her to deposit an additional amount of Rs. 12 lakh to deal with taxes and conversion fees for her investments.

Within days, the woman noticed that her virtual account had become obsolete.

When she tried to contact the scammers to fix the problem, they stopped responding to her calls and messages. The victim then filed a complaint with the Cyber ​​Cell Unit of the Mumbai Police, and an investigation into the cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy sections is ongoing, according to the report.

Gadgets 360 has contacted Mumbai Police officials for comment and will update this story once a response is received.

Time and again, law enforcement agencies around the world have warned people against engaging with strangers over financial matters.

Last December, Delhi Police filed a complaint against a major crypto scam worth Rs. 500 crores. Cybercriminals disguised as financial advisers have lured innocent victims by promising a “200%” return on investment. In June of last year it was estimated that crypto scammers had duped Indians out of Rs. 1,000 crore by posing as fake exchanges.

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