Clerk falls victim to almond ad cyber fraud, loses ₹33.5k
The victim, identified as Nitin Kumar Gupta of Triveni Nagar, was perusing his Facebook feed when he came across an enticing “advertisement from Big Bazaar”.
LUCKNOW A clerk employed at the office of the additional civil judge in the junior division found himself defrauded of ₹33,500 by unidentified cyber criminals. The victim, identified as Nitin Kumar Gupta of Triveni Nagar, was perusing his Facebook feed when he came across an enticing “advertisement from Big Bazaar”, offering almonds at the seemingly irresistible rate of ₹279 per kilogram. Tempted by the apparent bargain, he clicked on the link to avail of this purported deal.
“My phone froze instantaneously, prompting me to hastily close the Facebook application. To my dismay, the following day, I received a notification of a ₹67,000 deduction from my bank account. It was at this point that I immediately contacted the police.”
Subsequently, Gupta initiated daily follow-ups with the cybercrime authorities, who successfully managed to reclaim ₹33,500 by liaising with the bank involved in the dubious transaction. “I’m relieved to have reclaimed a portion of my money through the diligent efforts of the cybercrime division, who corresponded with the implicated bank. However, the remaining sum is yet to be retrieved,” said Gupta.
