A woman from Nadapuram in Kozhikode lost ₹17 lakh from her bank accounts after reportedly falling prey to a fraudulent online investment scheme publicised through a WhatsApp group.
Police sources said the woman carried out online transactions believing that her money was deposited into the share market for quicker and higher returns. She was also made to believe that the transferred funds were used to purchase lucrative shares of prominent corporate companies.
The transactions were reportedly carried out in a period of three months from June to August this year. According to the complaint, the funds were transferred in 12 instalments from her two bank accounts as instructed by the WhatsApp groomers. She approached the police as there was no response from those who issued instructions and reportedly secured funds for other partners in the scam.
The case, which was first registered at the Kozhikode cyber police station, was later transferred to the Nadapuram police for follow-up investigation. Police sources said the woman had lost money from the bank accounts she had opened at Nadapuram a few years ago. The said efforts were on to recover the lost amount.
Preliminary investigation had found that several untrustworthy WhatsApp groups were reportedly operational across the country in the name of promoting financial literacy for new investors. Many were found joining such unknown groups clicking the hyperlinks shared on social media pages and groups.
“Transfer of funds by clicking unknown hyperlinks shared through social media platforms is one of the riskiest practices in any business circumstance. The safest way is to use the official portal of the banks concerned,” said a senior police officer with the cyber cell. He added that the opening of any third party account in the name of share trading or investment should be done cautiously by people who are new to the field and unaware of the safest online practices.
Published – October 08, 2024 01:21 am IST