Two lose nearly ₹1 crore in separate online trading frauds in Keralam’s Kozhikode
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In two separate incidents of cyber fraud, a homemaker from Kodanchery and a farmer from Thiruvambadi, both in Kozhikode district of Keralam, lost ₹49.20 lakh and ₹49.10 lakh, respectively, after being lured into fake online trading schemes. The Cyber Crime Police and the Thiruvambadi Police have registered cases and launched a joint investigation.
According to the police, the person from Kodanchery fell prey to a fraudulent investment scheme after being persuaded by a morphed video featuring Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Facebook. The scammers convinced her that substantial financial returns could be generated through online trading.
In the second incident, the farmer, a former non-resident Indian (NRI), was allegedly defrauded through a fabricated video on YouTube. The perpetrators duped him into believing that importing medical equipment from abroad into India would yield high profits, prompting him to transfer funds to accounts specified by the scammers.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the defrauded money was systematically routed through multiple mule bank accounts and current accounts rented specifically for the operation by the accused.
Expressing concern over the rise of deepfakes and fabricated videos circulating on social media platforms, law enforcement agencies have urged the public to exercise caution when encountering lucrative online investment offers. The Cyber Police have also instructed bank officials to remain vigilant about unusual transactions and suspicious account activities.
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