Haryana: Four Sirsa residents fell prey to an online fraud that cost them Rs 25 lakh. Shamsher Singh, a HUDA government employee in Sector 19, Sirsa, was duped into transferring Rs 5.84 lakh to a cyber criminal on the promise of getting easy money by completing simple tasks on Telegram. The conman initially asked for a small amount but soon demanded a bigger amount, convincing Shamsher that he would have to pay Rs 11 lakh more to get his money back. Realising the fraud too late, Shamsher reported the matter to the cyber crime helpline. In another incident, Ellenabad-based dermatologist Dr Komal Bansal was duped of Rs 1.9 lakh when a conman posing as an Army officer promised to bear the expenses of medical check-up of 95 women cadets at Sirsa Air Force Station. The conman, who claimed to be from the BSF, convinced her to share her payment details and follow specific instructions, which led to unauthorised withdrawal of money from her account. The police are investigating the case after Dr Komal filed a complaint.
Sandeep Kumar, a cement store owner in Sirsa, was duped in an online trading scam in which he lost Rs 15.23 lakh. After receiving a WhatsApp message encouraging him to invest in the stock market, he followed the link to download a fake app. Over time, he transferred money to various accounts hoping for high returns. When he attempted to withdraw his money, the scammers demanded additional payments on the pretext of taxes. Eventually, when Sandeep was blocked from all communications, he realised he had been cheated. In another case, Ramesh Kumar of Gaushala Mohalla in Sirsa fell prey to a part-time job scam in which he lost Rs 2.31 lakh. Ramesh received a WhatsApp message offering a job of writing reviews on Google Maps. After making payments multiple times, Ramesh realised he had been cheated. The police have begun investigating all four cases.
