A 23-year-old private bank employee in Dharavi fell victim to an online scam, losing Rs2.6 lakh after interacting with a man on a matrimony site who claimed to be in London.
Scam details
The scammer, Ravi Gupta, asked for her deal and then sent her a “gift” package containing purported gold jewelry, bracelets, and an Apple phone. A fake call from a courier company, not easy for a parcel in his name, demanded 21,000 rupees. for their release. Subsequent appeals forced her to pay Rs 66,000 for a purported currency exchange and Rs 95,000 for customs clearance of GST packages. Additional bills followed, adding Rs 37,150 as nominal fees.
The scammers went on to claim that the CEO of DHL obstructed customs clearance and it was not easy to get an extra Rs 1. 50 lakh. Aware of the deception, the victim reported the incident to the Dharavi police, thus opening proceedings against the unidentified perpetrators. The scam outlines the dangers related to online interactions and the importance of being on the lookout for fraudulent schemes.