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A 47-year-old woman from Vinay Nagar Colony in Hyderabad's Saidabad was allegedly cheated of Rs 3,38,200 after falling victim to an online marriage proposal scam involving a fake Delhi-based "UK Affairs Office", police said.
According to the Cyber Crime Unit of Hyderabad Police, the woman was contacted by a man identifying himself as "Hirad Ahmed", who claimed to be a doctor based in the United Kingdom. He established contact through WhatsApp calls, messages and video chats and allegedly gained her trust before "manipulating her" to open two new bank accounts and purchase two SIM cards, the police said, adding that she was then instructed to send the associated ATM cards and passbooks to a purported "UK Affairs Office" in New Delhi. The police said the accused and his associates later sent fake visa and marriage-related documents and demanded money for processing. The woman was allegedly asked to make repeated payments on the pretext of visa fees, late charges, luggage issues, hotel stays, flight problems and medical emergencies. "They repeatedly asked for payments for visa fees, late charges, luggage problems, hotel stay, flight issues, and medical emergencies. Believing his false stories, she transferred a total of Rs 3,38,200," the police said. After losing contact and receiving suspicious calls from multiple numbers, she realised she had been cheated and sought action. Following the incident, the Cyber Crime Unit issued a public advisory urging citizens not to trust unsolicited marriage proposals received via social media or messaging platforms and to avoid sharing bank or personal documents with individuals met online only. The advisory also warned that cyber fraudsters may impersonate government authorities to demand payments and advised verification through official channels. (ANI)
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