An accountant working for a confectionery chain in Kasaragod fell victim to a phishing expedition, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 8 lakh. The scam began when she received an unexpected “expensive gift” from a Facebook friend claiming to be from the UK. Anuja P, the accountant, made six transactions totaling Rs 8,01,400 to a bank account supposedly associated with Perfect Cargo & Logistics Private Limited in order to receive the gift. It wasn’t until she was asked for an additional Rs 67,000 by the company that she realized she had been deceived. The mobile number of the company executive promptly went inactive, indicating foul play.
Remarkably, the scammers exploited the name of a legitimate company to carry out their fraudulent scheme. Anuja decided to share her story with Onmanorama in the hopes of preventing others from falling victim to similar scams.
The elaborate scam started with a Facebook friend request from someone named ‘Dr. Kennedy Nick Moores’ five months ago. Anuja accepted the request, but they didn’t communicate until recently when the friend initiated a conversation. Gradually, the conversation turned to personal matters, and the friend mentioned a gift he had purchased for Anuja. Despite her reluctance, Anuja’s manager advised her to provide her address for the gift.
Shortly thereafter, Anuja received a call from someone claiming to be from Perfect Cargo, demanding Rs 25,400 for the delivery of the gift. After confirming the legitimacy of the courier company online, Anuja couldn’t afford the payment and suggested that her Facebook friend cover the cost. This request angered the friend, claiming she was insulting him and refusing to send money. Meanwhile, the female executive from the supposed logistics company contacted Anuja and revealed that the package contained an Apple iPhone. Anuja ended up transferring the requested amount via GPay.
The scam escalated when Anuja was informed that the package was confiscated by the Income-Tax Department, as £40,000 (Rs 40 lakh) was found inside. The executive then asked for Rs 87,000 to obtain a court order for the release and conversion of the money. Anuja sent the requested amount but was subsequently asked for an additional Rs 2.17 lakh for a NOC from the Income Tax Department. Desperate and trapped in a sunk cost fallacy, Anuja managed to gather the money by borrowing from relatives and pledging her gold.
The final blow came when the executive demanded Rs 4.73 lakh to conceal the illegality of sending such a large sum of cash. Anuja, convinced that all the money she had given would be refunded, borrowed once again and made the transfer. However, when she called the executive the next day, she was asked for an extra Rs 67,000. It was at that moment that Anuja realized she had been deceived by everyone involved.
In a last attempt to confront the Facebook friend, Anuja received a cold response: “Don’t disturb me today. I hate sentiments.” The Facebook account belonging to ‘Dr. Kennedy Nick Moores’ remains active but locked.
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