Woman loses Rs 3.55 lakh in online fraud

A woman from Neelavar in Udupi district was duped of Rs 3.55 lakh by an online fraudster who sent a fake coupon in the name of a company saying she had won a prize of Rs 12 lakh for a purchase made online.

The woman, Pallavi (29), in her complaint to the Cyber, Economic and Narcotic (CEN) Crime police said she had made a purchase from NAATPOL online company following which she received a 'scratch and win' coupon on April 25.

When she scratched the coupon, it was found that she has won Rs 12 lakh.

She contacted the number given in the coupon and the person who answered the call, identified himself as Ashwin Kumar and confirmed she had won the prize.

The woman was asked to send Rs 3,55,800 for expenses towards service charge, security deposit, GST and other expenses which she deposited in a given account number.

The woman realised that she had been cheated as she got no response from the other end weeks later and filed a complaint before the CEN crime police station at Udupi, police sources said.