Gujarat businessman meets woman through Facebook, loses Rs 95 lakh in online scam
A Gujarat businessman lost Rs 95 lakh in an online scam after befriending a woman on Facebook. The fraud, involving the sale of supposed herbal products, came to light when the alleged scammers vanished.
by Divyanshi Sharma · India TodayIn Short
- A businessman from Gujarat lost Rs 95 lakh in an online scam.
- He met a woman on Facebook.
- The woman turned out to be a scammer.
Meeting somebody online has always had a certain element of risk involved. After all, you never know who is on the other side of the screen. There have been many cases in the past where people met strangers online who turned out to be scammers. In such cases, the victim usually begins trusting a stranger and ends up losing their hard-earned money after listening to them. Something similar happened with a businessman hailing from Gujarat who lost Rs 95 lakh after he befriended a woman on Facebook.
According to a Times of India report, Desai, a resident of Alkapuri, found himself ensnared in a web of deceit that began with a simple click-accepting a friend request from an unfamiliar face on Facebook. Little did he know that this action would lead to an ordeal that would cost him a staggering sum of Rs 95 lakh.
As per the report, it all started in October last year, when Desai received a friend request from a woman named Steff Mhiz. Intrigued, he accepted, and soon they began talking regularly, exchanging greetings and sharing snippets of their lives. Eventually, the two began talking to each other on WhatsApp.
As their virtual friendship blossomed, Steff began talking about a prospective money-making opportunity. She told Desai that her company needed herbal products from India and that he could act as a middleman.Steff then suggested that he could purchase these products for Rs 1 lakh per packet and sell them to her company for double the price, thereby earning money in the process.
Eager to seize what appeared to be a lucrative opportunity, Desai agreed. Steff introduced him to a certain Dr Virendra, who facilitated the procurement process. Trusting in their words, Desai wired Rs 1 lakh to Virendra's account for a sample packet of the herbal products.
Initially, everything seemed promising. Desai received the sample packets, but out of caution, he refrained from opening them immediately. However, Virendra started demanding more payments for various reasons and ensured that Desai would earn greater profits.
Desai complied and, as per TOI, transferred a total of Rs 68 lakh to different bank accounts as instructed by Virendra. However, as the demands for more money continued, Desai's suspicions grew.
Finally, when he mustered the courage to confront Virendra and demand a refund, both Virendra and Steff vanished into thin air, leaving Desai in a state of shock. Desai then opened the sample packets, only to discover they contained nothing more than fried chips and powdered substances.
This is when Desai realised that he had fallen victim to an online scam. He then filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime police station.
Published By:
Divyanshi Sharma
Published On:
Mar 15, 2024