Gurugram Farmer Loses Rs 22,000 In Online Scam During Cow Sale

Reports of cyber scams are surging, with numerous cases surfacing recently, including a troubling incident involving a 50-year-old dairy farmer from Pandala, Gurugram, who fell victim to cyber fraudsters while attempting to purchase cows at a discounted rate, resulting in a loss of Rs 22,000.

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The farmer, identified as Sukhbir, made payments totalling Rs 22,000 in four instalments on January 19 and 20, according to Hindustan Times.

Gurugram farmer falls victim to scammers

"Sukhbir came across an online ad offering four cows for Rs 95,000, a lucrative deal compared to the standard market rate of Rs 1 lakh," reported the publication. "It was only later that he realized he had been duped."

Sukhbir's son, Parveen, aged 30, provided an account of the incident. Parveen stated, "My father was watching videos on YouTube on his phone. He then got a number, either through an advertisement or through Google, and contacted them."

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The fraudsters proceeded to send photos of cows for his father to select from and offered to sell four cows for Rs 95,000.

A case has been registered under sections of cheating ¨C 419 and 420 ¨C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified individuals, as per the report.

Echoes of 2023: familiar incident with a new twist

In a separate incident in March 2023, a farmer from Gwalior fell victim to an online scam while attempting to purchase a buffalo from Sharma Dairy Farm in Jaipur, losing Rs 87,000 in the process. Hotam Singh Baghel was enticed by the offer of a buffalo for Rs 60,000 after encountering a Facebook advertisement. Singh contacted the farm's owner, who demanded Rs 4,200 for transporting the buffalo from Jaipur to Gwalior.

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The report outlined that due to the delayed arrival of the buffalo, Singh was coerced into paying an extra Rs 12,000 by the owner, who cited a malfunctioning GPS tracker. Being unfamiliar with online transactions, Singh borrowed money from his wife's jewellery to settle the bill.

Subsequently, the scammer increased the demand to Rs 25,000, prompting Singh to mortgage his wife's other ornaments. Despite these payments, the buffalo failed to arrive, leading Singh to contact the driver, who claimed the buffalo had sustained a leg injury in an accident. Realizing he had been deceived, Singh promptly alerted the authorities.

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