Octogenarian cheated of Rs 3 lakh by person posing as US-based kin

An 81-year-old woman was cheated of Rs 3 lakh by a person posing as her US-based relative, a Mumbai Police official said on Thursday, reported the PTI.

The woman stays with her 60-year-old daughter-in-law, who is the complainant in the case, and her 39-year-old granddaughter, the police official said.

The incident took place on April 4, a family member got a message from a “US based relative” from a number, which she saved believing it was the latter`s new number, the official said.

“The accused first sought Rs 1 lakh for some urgent matter, which was transferred through NEFT. The accused then sought Rs 2 lakh, which was transferred by the 81-year-old woman on April 15. However, when the accused sought bigger amounts in the range of Rs 5-7 lakh, the woman and her kin found it suspicious,” he said, according to the PTI.

“They could not get any response on this number. When they called the US-based relative on an old number, she told them she had not received any money, which made them realise they had been cheated,” the official added.

The victim reached out to the Chunabhatti Police Station in the eastern suburbs of the city and filed a case in the matter.

A case has been registered against unidentified person and further probe is underway, the official said.

Engineering student from Jammu and Kashmir duped of Rs 4.30 lakh

Meanwhile, a 20-year-old engineering student from Jammu and Kashmir was duped of Rs 4.30 lakh by fraudsters in a `task fraud` case, the police, reported the PTI.

The victim lives in the college hostel in Matunga, the official said.

He received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number in which the sender introduced herself as `Pallavi`.

She offered the victim a “task,” claiming he could earn Rs 2,000 to 8,000 everyday by posting online reviews.

After he agreed, he was added to a Telegram channel and initially received payment for completing a task, the official said.

Later on, he was assigned a bigger tasks and asked to deposit money as security, leading him to transfer a total of Rs 4.30 lakh over time.

As the demand for the money continued, the victim realised that he has been cheated following which he filed a complaint with the Matunga police, an official said, the news agency reported.

(with PTI inputs)