Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jun 20: Two separate cyber fraud cases reported in Mangaluru have left victims with losses exceeding Rs 7 lac, prompting police to register cases and initiate investigations.
In the first incident, a 62-year-old man from Mangaluru allegedly lost Rs 4 lac after being lured into investing through a fake online trading platform that promised high returns.
According to a complaint lodged at Mangaluru North police station, the victim received a WhatsApp message on April 29 from a number identified as "FARALLON Aarna", claiming that investors could earn substantial profits through its trading application. Believing the offer to be genuine, he joined the Aarna Trading Group and invested money as instructed.
The complainant reportedly transferred Rs 50,000 on April 29, another Rs 50,000 on May 1, and Rs 4 lac on May 3 to a bank account belonging to AVIARA Enterprise, taking his total investment to Rs 5 lac.
Later, after discussing the matter with a friend, he was advised that the platform appeared to be fraudulent and was urged to withdraw his funds. While he managed to recover Rs 1 lac, attempts to withdraw the remaining Rs 4 lac failed. He subsequently found that he had been blocked from both the WhatsApp group and the trading application.
In another case, a 45-year-old Mumbai resident visiting his mother's house in Karnire allegedly lost Rs 3,05,165 after cyber fraudsters posing as bank representatives offered him a credit card upgrade.
According to the complaint registered at Mulki police station, the victim received a phone call on June 17 from a person claiming to be a representative of a private bank. The caller offered a lifetime upgrade of his credit card and later sent a link through WhatsApp to complete the process.
Trusting the caller, the complainant clicked the link and entered his credit card details and One-Time Password (OTP) on the website that opened. Soon afterwards, multiple unauthorised transactions were carried out using his credit card, resulting in a loss of Rs 3,05,165.
Police said both victims were allegedly deceived through false promises and fraudulent online tactics. Separate cases have been registered, and investigations are under way.