A Pune-based architect lost close to Rs 1 lakh to online fraud after a cyber criminal posing as an Army officer approached her with a “design assignment” and deceived her into clicking on a link.
The incident took place on the afternoon of March 15, according to police. After a preliminary inquiry, a First Information Report was registered in the case at the Loni Kalbhor police station on Tuesday night on a complaint lodged by the 28-year-old architect, who owns a design firm.
The caller identified himself as an Indian Army officer and said he would like to get a design made for a plot of land that he owned. After the initial discussion, the architect agreed to take up the assignment and asked for an advance amount.
The caller told her that “because of the regulations in the Army,” he would not be able to directly send her the money and persuaded her to click on a link instead.
Police inspector (crime) Subhash Kale said, “On the pretext of sending a request on an online payment platform, the suspect sent the complainant a link. After clicking on the link, she lost Rs 98,000 from her account. She later approached police with a complainant and a case was registered. We have launched a probe.”
