How retired bank employee lost over Rs 1 crore on WhatsApp share trading group

A 61-year old retired bank employee fell victim to a cyber fraud promising high returns on stock market investments. The victim lost more than Rs 1 crore in the fraud that started in the first week of February this year. A case has been filed under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

How the scam started?

In her complaint, the victim told police that she came across a share trading advertisement on Facebook in the first week of February.She clicked on the link in the advertisement and joined a WhatsApp group that advised her to buy BSE shares and IPO through them.
Later, a woman named Sangeeta Kumari invited her to join a VIP group. The complainant, on being told that her international trading account had been sanctioned, shared her Aadhaar card details with the admin. The victim was then asked to download an app on her Android phone through an invitation code link. The complainant clicked on the link which directed her to a ‘share trading’ firm’s webpage.
In March, the victim was asked to pay Rs 32 lakh as tax. She was later asked to send Rs 95 lakh as tax. This time, the complainant told Kumari to deduct the amount from her profit, and return her remaining money, but Kumari refused.
The complainant transferred Rs 30 lakh and informed the accused that she wanted to withdraw all her funds, but the accused demanded an additional Rs 5 lakh as a service fee.

How to stay safe?