Pune techie duped of Rs 3 lakh by crook posing as US friend

PUNE: A 41-year-old software professional from Wakad was duped of Rs3 lakh by a cybercrook, who posed as a friend from the US and sought money for a relative’s treatment in India.
The incident occurred on Tuesday. The techie approached the Wakad police on Wednesday. Police said the fraudster used the friend’s social media photograph as the display picture on WhatsApp.
As per the complaint, on Tuesday, the complainant — who was at work — received a WhatsApp call from an unknown US-based number. The caller ID on the phone showed his friend’s photograph.
Before the techie could answer, the call got disconnected. His “friend” then started texting him. “My ‘friend’ suddenly asked me for Rs3 lakh for his relative’s medical treatment in India,” the techie told TOI.
“I did not have any problem giving the money. I told him to make a video call, but he said he could not. He then gave me a bank account number to transfer the money,” he added.
He said he was busy with work, so he transferred the money to that account. “After finishing work, I called my friend’s brother, who lives in Pune. I was shocked when he told me no one from their family was undergoing any treatment. Moreover, he also told me that the number from which I received the call did not belong to his brother,” he said.
The techie said he called the suspect on the same number. “He promised to return the money and asked me not to go to the police. The suspect told me to search for an ‘angadia’ (unofficial banking courier service) as transferring money directly was not safe,” he said. “I decided to go to the Wakad police station and lodge a complaint,” instead.