Hyderabad: A 61-year-old woman was duped of over Rs 35 lakhs by a fraudster on WhatsApp claiming to be a doctor from London’s South Manchester General Hospital.
Cyber crime police confirmed that the woman received a WhatsApp call from a person impersonating Dr. Steve Rodrigues, a urologist at the London hospital.
The caller told her that her son was involved in a serious accident at London Airport and had sustained a severe head injury.
Stating that he cannot be admitted officially without proof of identity, the fraudster claimed he needed money to begin treatment after “illegally” admitting her son.
The victim transferred money over the course of two months from August 8 to September 18. She paid a total of Rs 35,23,070 through online transactions, for the alleged treatment.
The fraudster denied the victim any evidence of her son’s condition and deleted the entirety of their chat history from the app; following which she realised the entire incident was a scam.
The authorities have issued an advisory urging the public not to fall prey to online frauds by verifying information directly with family members or through official embassy channels before transferring money.
Report cyber crimes on the helpline, 1939 or on the website, www.cybercrime.gov.in
