Mangaluru: A 37-year-old man was allegedly cheated of Rs 2.4 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him into an online investment scheme promising high returns.According to the complaint, the fraud began on Aug 26, when unknown persons added the complainant to a WhatsApp group named ‘CORSEL M37’. A person claiming to be the manager of the organisation told group members that they could earn money by following and liking specified channels.Trusting the offer, the complainant completed the tasks and received around Rs 4,000 in small payments credited to his bank account as rewards. The fraudsters later promised to double investments made through trading and asked him to download the Telegram app, register his details and transfer money to bank accounts specified by them. On Aug 28, he initially transferred Rs 2,000 and received Rs 3,000 as returns, further strengthening his belief in the scheme.Subsequently, between Aug 28 and Oct 3, the complainant transferred Rs 1,26,550 from a bank account through NEFT, Rs 1,05,200 from another account through NEFT, and another Rs 7,000 through UPI, taking the total amount transferred to Rs 2,38,750.The fraudsters later urged him to invest more money and demanded additional charges to facilitate the withdrawal of his existing investment. Unable to invest further, he waited in the hope of recovering his money.However, when he was unable to withdraw the amount and the suspects failed to respond properly to his messages, he realised that he had been cheated and approached police. CEN crime police have registered a case.
