Nashik: Businessman falls prey to online fraudster, loses Rs 4.42 lakh

NASHIK: A city-based entrepreneur was cheated of Rs 4.42 lakh by an online fraudster between November 5 and November 21.
The entrepreneur has lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police station. Police officers said the entrepreneur wanted to participate in an exhibition to showcase his products. He had made online application to participate in the exhibition.
Between November 5 and November 11, he got an email that the official bank account of the organisation conducting the exhibition has been suspended temporarily.
Senior inspector Devraj Borase of the cybercrime police station said the fraudster had created such a mail that the entrepreneur got the impression that he had received official communication from the organisers of the exhibition.
The mail further mentioned that since the official bank account had been temporarily suspended, he can pay the fees for participating in the exhibition on another bank account. The conman had sent bank account number with its proper IFSC code and branch name which read Billekalli.
Assuming that he was paying the fees of participating in the exhibition, the entrepreneur ended up depositing the amount of Rs 4.42 lakh in the conman’s account.
Borase said that after submitting the money, the entrepreneur also did not enquire with the organisers if it had received the payment made by him. After a few days, when the entrepreneur did not get any information or mail about the receipt of his payment, he enquired about the status of his participation in the exhibition. He was told that his payment had not been received and neither had the organisation’s bank account been suspended.
On realising that he had been cheated, the entrepreneur lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police station.