Mumbai: A 30-year-old man lost more than ₹3 lakh after he fell prey to a sextortion scam earlier this week. The victim not only lost his entire savings but also his friends’ money.
As per the police, the man works with a private firm in the city and stays with his mother in Andheri. The police said that his ordeal started on February 23, when he received a video call from an unknown number shortly after returning home from work.
“The victim received the call and saw a woman sitting naked at the other end. He tried to make out her face but was unable to do so, after which he disconnected the call. He got three more video calls from the same number subsequently but did not answer them,” said an officer with the Andheri police station.
The officer added that on February 24, while the victim was at work, he received a phone call from an unknown number. The man at the other end told him that a recording of his video call had been published on YouTube and demanded ₹31,500 for removing it. The panicked victim immediately sent the money via GPay and the man called again two hours later, this time demanding ₹62,500.
The victim, however, only had ₹60,000 in his account, which he paid immediately. The caller, however, kept demanding more money and the victim turned to two of his friends for help. One of them sent ₹62,500 to the accused, while the other sent ₹1.51 lakh. When the demands still did not stop and the victim ran out of options, he approached the police on Saturday.
{{/usCountry}}The victim, however, only had ₹60,000 in his account, which he paid immediately. The caller, however, kept demanding more money and the victim turned to two of his friends for help. One of them sent ₹62,500 to the accused, while the other sent ₹1.51 lakh. When the demands still did not stop and the victim ran out of options, he approached the police on Saturday.
{{/usCountry}}“We have registered an FIR of cheating under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act against the unknown accused and are conducting investigations. Attempts are underway to identify the accused based on the numbers used for the video calls as well as the subsequent phone calls,” the officer said.
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