COIMBATORE: A 60-year-old retired bank manager from Coimbatore was defrauded of Rs 66 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured her with promises of high returns through a fake stock market investment scheme.
According to police, the woman recently received a message on her mobile phone offering substantial profits through investments in the stock market. The message, sent in the name of a reputed investment firm, claimed assured and significant returns, prompting her to show interest.
The scammers persuaded her to download a mobile application and provided her with a user ID and password. The app appeared sophisticated, featuring options such as chat support, voice communication, investment tracking, and real-time display of invested amounts along with purported profits. It also claimed that the accumulated balance, including returns, could be transferred to her bank account at any time.
"Unaware that it was a trap, the woman invested Rs 66 lakh in multiple instalments. The application later reflected that her total investment had grown to over Rs 1 crore," police officials said.
However, when she attempted to withdraw the amount, the transaction failed. Upon contacting the company representative, she was told that there were additional processing charges to facilitate the release of her funds. Shortly thereafter, the scammers became unreachable.
Realising that she had been duped, the victim lodged a complaint with the Coimbatore City Cyber Crime Police. An investigation is under way.