Pune doctor loses 12.31cr to WhatsApp fake trading scam
India
A 75-year-old Pune doctor lost ₹12.31 crore after falling for a fake share trading scam run through WhatsApp.
Scammers, pretending to be from an international finance company, lured him into a group chat and got him to use a bogus app that showed fake profits, convincing him to keep investing.
Police probe as threats forced payments
The scammers pressured the doctor into making eight large payments over just two weeks by threatening to seize his property if he stopped investing.
Even when the app claimed he had made ₹54 crore in profits, any attempt to withdraw was met with more threats, finally revealing it was all a scam.
Police say these kinds of online trading frauds are on the rise despite repeated warnings, and they are now investigating this case.