Ajmer: Cyber fraudsters duped a local businessman out of Rs 2.35 lakh while he was searching for plastic scrap on social media. The victim, Shalendra Singh Rathore, approached the cyber cell police station Tuesday after paying money for six tonnes of plastic scrap that was never delivered.Rathore’s troubles began when he received a WhatsApp message from an individual claiming to represent a Bhopal-based firm that specialises in plastic scrap. After negotiating the deal, Rathore transferred Rs 50,000 as a token payment. Subsequently, he received an invoice totalling Rs 233,640, which included GST and other taxes. Swayed by the receipt of payment and assured by the transport company’s details provided by the fraudsters, Rathore waited eagerly for his delivery.However, after 15 days of waiting and no delivery in sight, Rathore’s attempts to reach the “company” proved futile as the contact number had become inactive. Realising he had fallen victim to a scam, he registered a complaint online and visited the cyber cell police station Tuesday.Ajmer police have launched an investigation into the case, focusing on tracing the bank details into which Rathore’s money was transferred, as well as attempting to track the mobile number used on WhatsApp during the transaction.The incident comes in the wake of two other similar cases reported at the cyber crime police station just a day earlier, raising concerns about the increasing prevalence of online fraud and the need for heightened vigilance among internet users.
