Gujarat man loses Rs 1 lakh in Facebook scam promising Rs 17 lakh for old Rs 5 note

A Facebook advertisement promising Rs 17 lakh for a old Rs 5 notes cost a Gujarat farmer Rs 1.06 lakh. Lured by the prospect of a massive payout, the 42-year-old man kept transferring money to fraudsters over three days, only to realise he had fallen victim to a cyber scam.The incident came to light in the Valan police station area of Vadodara, where the victim, a resident of Juni Sayer village, has lodged a cyber fraud complaint. Police have launched an investigation into the case.HOW THE SCAM UNFOLDEDAccording to the police complaint, Mahendrabhai, a 42-year-old farmer, was watching reels on his mobile phone around 15 days before the incident when he came across a Facebook advertisement offering Rs 17 lakh in exchange for an old Rs 5 note.Mahendrabhai had two old Rs 5 notes and contacted the number displayed in the advertisement. He sent photographs of the notes via WhatsApp and informed the person that he had two of them, hoping to receive Rs 34 lakh in return. On October 6, he received a WhatsApp call from a person who claimed that someone would come to collect the two notes and deliver a parcel containing Rs 34 lakh. The caller asked him to pay a fee of Rs 750 to receive the parcel.After receiving a QR code on his mobile phone, Mahendrabhai transferred the amount.FRAUDSTERS DEMAND MORE MONEY The fraudsters then demanded increasingly larger sums, using claims that the parcel could not be delivered as promised.On October 7, Mahendrabhai received another call informing him that the person carrying the parcel had been caught. The caller said he would have to pay an additional Rs 25,500 to secure the person's release. Hoping to receive the promised Rs 34 lakh, Mahendrabhai made the payment.The demands continued the following day. On October 8, another caller told him that their men had been caught and demanded a further Rs 53,000, claiming that he would have to pay the amount if he wanted to get his money.Believing the promises made by the callers, Mahendrabhai continued transferring money through online transactions.VICTIM LOSES RS 1.06 LAKH IN THREE DAYSOver the three days, Mahendrabhai paid a total of Rs 1,06,400 to the fraudsters, beginning with the initial Rs 750 payment on October 6.He later realised that he had been cheated and approached the Valan police station to file a complaint. Police have begun investigating the cyber fraud.- Ends