Hyderabad woman loses over Rs. 11 lakhs in fake CoinDCX investment scam
Hyderabad: A 25-year-old female private employee in Hyderabad fell victim to a cyber fraud, losing Rs. 11,20,616 from her bank account in CoinDCX investment scam.
According to the Cybercrime police, the victim reportedly saw an advertisement on Instagram promoting CoinDCX and contacted them. She was instructed to view 30-second Share Chat videos for remuneration. After completing a few tasks and receiving payments via WhatsApp, she was added to a Telegram group. There, she was offered 20 more tasks, including video views and prepaid tasks.
Believing it to be a legitimate investment platform, the victim participated in these tasks. However, she was then informed of a wrong investment that froze her account. To unfreeze it, she was pressured into making further payments from her own bank accounts.
Initially, she was able to withdraw funds after the first payment. However, subsequent attempts were blocked, prompting the scammers to claim another wrong withdrawal needed further payments to rectify. Even after complying with these demands, her account remained frozen.
The scammers escalated their tactics, requesting her bank account details, a photo with her debit card, and a hefty sum for security verification. After making a significant payment, the victim was informed the verification was incomplete and demanded more money, which she refused.
Realizing she had been scammed, the victim demanded a refund of her total investment of Rs. 11,20,616. The scammers, however, refused and insisted on completing the verification for a full payment.
The victim has filed a complaint with the Cybercrime police, seeking action against the perpetrators.
Public Advisory:
Be wary of investment opportunities advertised on social media platforms like Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. Fake trading apps and websites often lure victims with promises of high returns and fabricated screenshot. Never trust unbelievable returns on investments.
If you suspect you are a victim of cyber financial fraud, report it immediately by calling the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or visiting https://cybercrime.gov.in/. In case of an emergency, you can also contact the Telangana Cyber Crime team by calling or sending a WhatsApp message to 8712665171.
