A 28-year-old Malad resident fell prey to cyber fraud and lost ₹88,000 in a series of transactions after he paid the money to get an e-commerce company's agent. In the First Information Report (FIR) registered at Malad police station, the complainant mentioned that he was approached by an unidentified woman, luring him with a commission of 10 per cent on every order he processes. The unidentified accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for cheating.
According to Malad Police sources, the complainant was approached by a woman, Mina, through a social networking website's messenger application, wherein she sent him a message for an agent's offer, wherein he could earn a 10 per cent commission on every order, and if interested, asked to contact on her WhatsApp number. Since the complainant was unsure about the message's authenticity, he let it pass.
A few days later, on July 13, he received a link on his mobile number, and after the complainant found this a lucrative offer, he clicked on the link, filled up the form with his personal details and submitted it. Subsequently, Mina contacted the complainant and gave him an order to process, for a commission of 10 per cent, and he complied.
Later, at 1.56 am on July 14, the complainant received a message from Mina, asking him to wire ₹1 for being eligible for commission, and later lured him to click on various UPI links to pass the VIP stage of agentry. The complainant wired a total of ₹87,998 in a series of eight transactions and was later asked to wire ₹76,250, which is when he realised he has been duped and stopped making payments.
The complainant immediately approached Malad Police and submitted a complaint letter, along with his bank statements and other valid documents for a speedy probe. Acting on this complaint, after primary verifications, Malad Police registered a case against the unidentified accused for cheating charges. While no arrests have been made yet, the search for the accused is underway.
