Elderly Woman Duped of ₹1.30 Crore in Sophisticated Cyber Fraud Scheme

A 65-year-old woman recently became the target of a complex cyber fraud operation, resulting in a staggering loss of ₹1.30 crore. The deception began in April 2023 when the victim connected with a stranger on an international dating app.

The man, who identified himself as Paul Rutherford, claimed to be an American civil engineer working in the Philippines. He concocted a harrowing tale about a fatal accident at his construction site, insisting he needed financial assistance to avoid deportation back to the U.S. Trusting his story, the woman transferred around ₹70 lakh in Bitcoin to him over the next few months, even borrowing from family members under the pretense that he would repay her.

The situation escalated in June when Rutherford informed her that he had sent a parcel containing $2 million, which was allegedly intercepted by the Customs Department. A caller, identifying herself as Priya Sharma from Delhi airport, furthered the deception, claiming the victim needed to pay various fees to release the parcel. Following Sharma's instructions, the woman deposited additional sums into different accounts.

The fraud did not stop there. Scammers later posed as representatives from Bank of America, stating that her funds had been cleared. They continued to manipulate her with calls from supposed officials from the International Monetary Fund and the Reserve Bank of India, who insisted she needed to deposit more money for currency conversion, totaling an eye-watering ₹17 crore.

Despite transferring a total of ₹1,29,43,661, the victim's growing suspicion led her to eventually report the incident to the cyber police. An FIR has been filed at the West Region Cyber police station, but so far, investigators have not identified any leads on the perpetrators.

"We have initiated the investigation but have yet to uncover any leads to trace the fraudsters," a police officer remarked. The case serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by individuals online, especially the elderly.