A retired bureaucrat of the Indian Administrative Service suffered a loss of Rs 1.89 crore to cybercriminals. A lady acquaintance, whom he encountered on a digital social platform, allured him with promises of profitable returns through engaging in Forex transactions. Over a duration spanning nearly two months, she proceeded to collect funds under various aliases. As per the complaint lodged by the esteemed officer, the Cybercrime Division of Hyderabad has initiated an investigation into the matter.
This retired officer, who had previously served in the eminent position of Chief Secretary to the government, currently resides within the urban landscape. The initial interaction took place in February of this year, when he received a correspondence on a social media platform. When the officer inquired about her identity, she claimed to be situated in Bengaluru and involved in forex trading activities. She purported to be conducting transactions through an entity known as Future Global. Subsequently, once the officer placed his trust in her, she forwarded a link via the telegram application.
Upon reaching out to the provided customer service contact, he was furnished with details of a bank account. Consequently, the officer transferred a sum of Rs. 50,000 to the aforementioned account during the third week of April. Following this, additional transfers of Rs. 5 lakh and subsequently Rs. 50 lakh were made. Following a brief interval, an online record indicated a profitable return of Rs. 67 lakh on the initial investment. However, the retired officer’s endeavors to retrieve funds through Future Global were met with unsuccessfulness.
The total loss suffered amounted to Rs. 1.89 crores, which was disbursed across more than 40 individual installments. In the official complaint, the retired officer identified the woman by the name of Pratibha Rao and noted her proficiency in the Telugu language.