Scams through social media ads are on rise these days. In a recent related incident, a software professional in Mangaluru, Karnataka, lost Rs 10.5 lakh to an online scam. The victim, in her police complaint, said she saw an advertisement on Instagram that promised easy money. The ad read “You can earn” and asked to send a message to WhatsApp number 9899183689 if she was interested in the proposal.
The victim fell prey to the ad and sent the message “I am interested” to the number mentioned in the ad through WhatsApp. According to a report from The Hindu, the victim was next asked to download Telegram app and connect with @khannika9912.
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Following the instruction, she downloaded the Telegram apps and contacted @khannika9912 who asked her to send 30% over the amount that is invested. The software professional transferred Rs 7,000 to UPI ID vaps1053-1@okaxis through Google Pay. The bad actors, in order to win the trust of the victim, credited Rs 9,100 amount to her account no time.
She was then asked to repeat the payment on the same UPI ID but this time with a higher amount of Rs 20,000. The scammers told her that her account was blocked and therefore she should repeat the transaction. Adhering to the instructions, the victim made multiple transfers, all to different UPI IDs and ending up losing a total of Rs 10,50,525 of her money. When she realized that she had been scammed, she filed a complaint with the Kankanady police. The police are investigating the matter and have registered her complaint under Section 420 of Indian Penal Code and under Sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of Information Technology Act.
Experts warn that people should be careful about clicking on links or responding to messages from unknown senders. They should also be wary of any offers that seem too good to be true.
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