Mangaluru: A 46-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 2.7 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as a UK-based man and customs officials and convinced her that a parcel containing chocolates, gold, cash and other valuables had been sent to her.According to the complaint, a man contacted the woman on Facebook about two months ago, introduced himself as Dr Williams Herbert from the United Kingdom and gained her trust through regular conversations on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.On June 28, he told her that he had sent her a parcel containing chocolates, gold, a bag and cash. She subsequently received a call from another person posing as a customs officer, who claimed that the parcel had been detained at the airport and would be released only after she paid a “customs luggage charge”.Believing the caller, the woman transferred Rs 28,000 through PhonePe on June 29. The following day, she was told that the gold and cash in the parcel had been seized, prompting her to make further transfers of Rs 50,000, Rs 26,000 and Rs 20,000 to UPI accounts provided by the fraudsters. Her nephew also transferred Rs 26,000 and Rs 30,000 to an account specified by the accused.On July 8, the woman received another call demanding a penalty for failing to collect the parcel on time. The next day, she transferred another Rs 87,000 by cheque to a bank account provided by the callers.The fraudsters allegedly collected Rs 2.7 lakh from the woman and her nephew in instalments under the pretexts of customs luggage, seizure and penalty charges. She realised that she had fallen victim to cyber fraud after the accused continued to demand more money, and subsequently approached police. A case has been registered at the Konaje police station.
