Hyderabad, July 21: Fraudsters suspected to in China has duped a number of people in Hyderabad after befriending them on online dating networks such as Tinder and social networking apps like WeChat and WhatsApp. Recently, a businessman lost Rs 17.5 lakh and became the latest victim of online fraud. One of the victims of the fraud included a retired armed forces officer who lost Rs 23 lakh. Police have arrested one of the fraudsters K Rajesh Kumar, an engineering graduate, from Kondapur. Kerala Records Highest Number of Cyber Attacks During COVID-19 Lockdown.

According to a report by Times of India, the crooks would pose as women on Tinder, WhatsApp and WeChat, and befriend with people. After a few days of chatting, the crooks would lure them to online forex trade and cryptocurrency with a promise of quick money. The accused Rajesh Kumar followed the same modus operandi. After the victim transferred money into an Indian bank account provided by Rajesh as an investment, he would show profit in dummy online trading account and even transferred some money to gain their trust. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: Government Taking Steps to Prevent Online Frauds, Says Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

Once the victim transfers a huge amount, the fraudsters would disappear and cut off all contact. Rajesh came in contact with the fraudsters during a business trip to China in 2017. He provided three bank accounts to 'Mike' and 'Mina'. When the police analysed transactions in those accounts, they found that many people from Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and Chennai had deposited money thinking it was an investment.

"Some other bank accounts are in Delhi and other places. So, we suspect that there could be other agents like Rajesh in the country and more victims. Some other investors are not yet convinced that they were duped and some do not want to lodge a complaint," a Cyberabad police officer was quoted as saying.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 21, 2020 01:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).