Gujarati Businessman Loses Rs 95 Lakh In Facebook Friend?Request?Scam

The frequency of cyber frauds is rising, and more people are becoming their victims.?

A man said that after becoming friends with a woman on Facebook, he lost millions of rupees. According to reports, the Gujarati businessman lost a total of Rs 95 lakh to a scam.

Who is the businessman who lost Rs 95 lakhs to a Facebook scam?

Gujarati Businessman Loses Rs 95 Lakh In A Facebook Scam | Image: Generated on DALL.E

According to the Times of India (TOI), an Alkapuri, Parag Desai resident reported something suspicious to the Cyber Crime Police Station after becoming a victim of a scam. He told the authorities that in October of last year, he accepted a friend request from a woman on Facebook going by the name of Steff Mhiz.

Later on, they switched to WhatsApp for their talks. The site claimed that Desai's acquaintance recommended that he buy herbal products from India for Rs 1 lakh each and resell them to Mhiz's company for Rs 2 lakh

What happened over Facebook?

After Desai gave his assent, she encouraged him to contact a person by the name of Dr. Virendra in order to acquire the items. Desai and Dr. Virendra corresponded via email.

He accepted a friend request from a woman on Facebook going by the name of Steff Mhiz| Image: Unsplash

After their online talk, he paid Rs 1 lakh and received a sample packet. Desai did not open the box, even though it arrived on time.

Rather, as the article said, he placed more orders. After that, Desai allegedly kept giving money to Dr. Virendra in multiple accounts as directed by him. He grew suspicious when Virendra continued to demand more money under false pretenses.

According to TOI, Desai pushed Dr. Virendra to void the contract and return his money when he didn't receive the guaranteed amount.
However, Dr. Virendra and the woman haven't communicated since.

How did he find out he was scammed?

When he eventually opened the packages, he was surprised to see that there were no medicinal products inside. They were filled with powder and fried chips, according to TOI.

When he eventually opened the packages they were filled with powder and fried chips | Image: Generated on DALL.E

In the meantime, a study published on February 6 by the Ministry of Home Affairs asserts that in 2023, Indians lost Rs 7,488.6 crore to internet frauds.

Telangana has lost Rs 759.1 crore, while Maharashtra has lost Rs 990.7 crore, illustrating the widespread scope of cybercrime in the nation.
The home ministry continued by stating that the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting Management System had 11,28,265 complaints in the prior year.

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