Mumbai has seen a 230 per cent increase in cybercrime related to share investment fraud between January and April this year. In January, the city police recorded 93 cases. By April, the number had increased to 308. Out of the 308 cases, only 23 have been solved so far. Police have arrested 22 people in connection with these cases.
As per reports, the scammers used social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram to promote fake investment plans. They added victims to WhatsApp groups that gave stock market advice. Other group members were with the scammers and claimed they had made big profits because of the advice.
Many times, victims were asked to download a fake trading app. They were told to transfer money to multiple bank accounts. They could see fake profits on the app. But when they tried to withdraw the money, the app.
In one case this month, a man from Lower Parel lost Rs 1.44 crore. He was promised high returns if he invested in the stock market.
In another case, a 70-year-old woman from Colaba lost Rs 19 lakh. The scammers told her that her Aadhaar and bank account were linked to a Rs 200 crore money laundering case. The police arrested a man named Wasim Ansari from Antop Hill, Wadala.
He is 26 years old and from Jharkhand. Police said Ansari received Rs 3 lakh in his personal bank account. He was sent to police custody till Monday.
In a separate case, a woman from Andheri West lost INR 99,000. She downloaded a fake app and a man pretending to be from the platform contacted her. He asked her to pay INR 600 and INR 9 to confirm the booking. She made the INR 9 payment using UPI. The next day, when she visited the bank, she found that INR 99,000 had been taken from her account without her knowledge.
The scammers had accessed her phone and bank information. She filed a complaint at Oshiwara Police Station.
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