Doctor loses ₹5 lakh in cyber fraud while trying to buy car

Mumbai doctor loses over ₹5 lakh in cyber fraud while trying to buy a car from a fake bank agent. Police have booked the fraudster for cheating.

Mumbai: In a cyber fraud incident, a Mumbai doctor, Dr Prabhat Shah, 52, lost over ₹5 lakh while attempting to purchase a car from an individual posing as a bank recovery agent. The “agent” who did a disappearing act after taking 30% advance for sale was booked by the Kandivali police on Friday for cheating.

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The fraudulent scheme involved a Facebook ad advertising an auction of properties seized from a nationalised bank’s defaulters. The ad listed a Fortuner E4 at ₹19 lakh, less than half of its market value. Dr Shah contacted the number provided in the ad on October 24 “The recipient calling to be a recovery credit manager of the bank in Solapur which he said was also the location of the vehicle I was interested in. The next day, he called and asked for all the documents needed to make the deal including my Aadhar card, PAN card, and bank statements,” the complainant said.

Dr Shah received an official-looking email confirming deal’s progress, including details about the advance payment. Subsequently, he transferred a total of ₹5.87 lakh to the specified bank account.

Upon visiting Solapur to collect the car, Dr Shah discovered that the address provided was nonexistent, and the individual he had been dealing with had disconnected his phone. Realising he had fallen victim to fraud, Dr Shah reported the incident to the Kandivali police. A case has been registered against the unknown accused under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating and dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.