Doc loses Rs 70 lakh in online trading scam | Bhubaneswar News

Berhampur: A 35-year-old doctor in a private hospital here fell victim to a cyber scam, losing a staggering Rs 70 lakh through online trading. The fraud unfolded over the last seven months, from Jan to July 21, sources said.The victim lodged a complaint at the cyber police station here on Wednesday. “We have registered a case under the relevant provisions of the BNS and the Information Technology Act. An investigation is underway to trace fraudsters and recover the lost funds,” said police.While browsing investment-related content on social media sites, he found a link promising exclusive trading. After verifying and speaking to its officials through WhatsApp chats, he believed it was a genuine investment firm. The cyber scammers, posing as officials of the investment company, instructed him to follow certain instructions. They also lured him with promises of high returns on his investment.Following their instructions, the doctor started to invest. He allegedly made several deposits into different accounts provided by the scammers and transferred a total of around Rs 70 lakh. However, when he tried to withdraw the money, he was informed that he needed to deposit an additional amount to activate his account. Realising he was scammed, he filed a complaint at the cyber police station here.It was the second major cyber scam reported at the cyber police station here in a week. On Friday, a case was lodged at the cyber police station when an employee of a govt hospital lodged a complaint about losing over Rs 20.5 lakh through a fake online trading and investment scheme in a month, from June 10 to July 11.Police said online investment scams are on the rise as investors seek high and quick returns on their investments and warned the public against such lucrative schemes. “Always verify the authenticity of trading platforms and refrain from making transactions based on unsolicited advice from unknown sources,” said SP (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M.