Mangaluru: A 75-year-old man has fallen victim to an online trading scam after being lured by a social media video that promised massive returns, resulting in a loss of over Rs 18 lakh.According to the complaint, the victim came across a video on Facebook on Dec 6 last year featuring a speech by Nirmala Sitharaman purportedly related to online trading. Interested in investing, he clicked on the link provided below the video and registered his details. Soon after, he received a phone call from a woman identifying herself as Meenakshi. Trusting her, he transferred Rs 21,000 to a bank account as instructed. He was then asked to access a link shared via WhatsApp and submit his details. On Dec 15, another individual, Aksharagowda, contacted him, claiming to be an assistant to Anand Unnikrishnan. The victim was guided further on trading activities through WhatsApp messages sent from an international number, with assurances of high returns. Believing the claims, the victim continued transferring large sums of money on multiple occasions, including Rs 3 lakh on Dec 18, Rs 7 lakh on Dec 26, Rs 3 lakh on Jan 6, and Rs 5.6 lakh on Jan 12, to various bank accounts provided by the accused. The fraudsters promised returns exceeding Rs 1 crore but failed to provide any profits. Realising he had been cheated, the victim calculated a total loss of Rs 18.8 lakh transferred to the accused’s accounts. A case has been registered at Kankanady Town police station.
