Bengaluru Techie Robbed Of Rs 37 Lakh In Online Fraud; Wife Walks Out Of Marriage For Husband Being ‘So Ignorant’
The online fraud news doesn’t cease coming in!
As the Internet is growing and new technology is being invented, so are online thefts increasing!
A Bengaluru techie fell prey to online fraud, not once but TWICE!
Read to find out more and do read the precautionary measures mentioned in the post at the end!
Contents
This is How the Bengaluru Techie Got Conned the FIRST time!
Vivek Kumar, 35 (name changed) working at a Bengaluru-based US IT-firm as a senior software engineer and his wife Shruti, 32(name changed), a bank executive welcomed a child in 2019. That was the first time the techie got caught in an online scam.
After having a child, Kumar started looking for a job abroad in search of good pay and a job. To settle overseas, he started looking for a job on the Internet.
He came across a post of a software professional which was ‘high paying’ and came with a promise of a car and home in Dubai. Now who doesn’t want all three with a bonus of a life overseas!
After clicking on the link, Kumar was subjected to Skype interviews and tests. Which seems normal right?
But here comes the catch!
Kumar was asked to deposit a massive amount to secure the job. He then transferred Rs 25 lakh in installments in the dreams of landing a job in Dubai.
After a few weeks the links to the advertisements and job portal disappeared which made him realise he had been conned!
What Happened After the Con?
In a hassle, Kumar sold their apartment giving his wife Shruti who was on maternity leave and nursing their child no clue. She was surprised and confused when she found out about the sale.
Meanwhile in September, 2019 Kumar filed a complaint with the cyber crime wing of the Bengaluru Police regarding the scam.
How Did The IT Professional Get Conned The SECOND Time?
As the police began their investigation, Kumar started an investigation of his own. He started a hunt to retrieve his stolen Rs 25 lakh and find the fraudsters.
Bindya Yohannan, counsellor at Parihar Family Counselling Centre at the Police Commissionerate said, “ Kumar found two so-called hackers online, a man and a woman, who assured him help in retrieving the lost amount. Kumar began chatting with them. The duo is believed to have cheated him for months on the pretext of tracking the cybercriminals.”
Some days after registering the case, Shruti found and read Kumar’s mushy chats with alleged woman hacker who identified herself as Monika. After confronting Kumar, he narrated the entire story to Shruti.
Yohannan who began counselling the couple two weeks ago after Kumar approached the police, added, “ By then, he had paid another Rs 12 lakh to Monika in his attempt to retrieve the amount he had lost initially. Kumar explained to Shruti he was flirting with Monika only to solve his own case and there was nothing romantic between them.”
Shruti’s exact words were, “Can’t believe you could be so ignorant as to fall prey to cybercriminals and lose lakhs despite being a software professional!” She simply couldn’t believe her husband had been duped twice. Despite many efforts, Shruti dumped Kumar and walked out with their infant.
Rani Shetty, the head of Parihar said, “We will ask the couple to come for counselling again and do our best to mend their differences. However, this case is particularly difficult as a large amount of money has been lost due to ignorance and there’s a lack of communication between the partners.”
How To Avoid Internet Frauds?
- Do not share account information like cvv, otp, expiry date, etc with anyone. No bank employee or online payment app employee is authorized to ask such information.
- Do not connect with the bank or any online payment app by searching for customer care numbers on Google or social media platforms.
- Do not pick up calls from unidentified numbers claiming to be bank or online payment app.
- Do not enter UPI pin or pay money when you are receiving money.
- Do not install third party apps like Screen Share, Teamviewer, etc
- Do not pay any amount to secure a job. No job or internship providing site asks you to pay any amount to secure a job.
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