Kozhikode: In the case where a businessman here lost Rs 2.85 crore through cryptocurrency trading, new leads show that the extorted money was withdrawn at Delhi. It was found that the money was withdrawn using various ATMs in Delhi. As the case was registered on the centralised portal, it has become clear how and through which accounts the money was transferred. All these accounts will be frozen as part of the investigation.

The fraud was carried out in India itself. Such fraudsters target people after learning the interests and financial status of their victims through various social media portals. Finding the real culprit is a challenge due to the use of fake sim cards and accounts to carry out the scam. The number that was in contact with the businessman was registered in Shillong and investigation revealed that this was a fake address.

The businessman was introduced to the scam through an Instagram account under the name ‘Sandra Georgia’. In such cases, it is usually men who chat using female names and pictures, cyber police say. These scams are well planned and thought out and hence even educated people often fall prey to them.

The cyber police say that there are agents in North India who will arrange fake sim cards and bank accounts on payment of Rs 10,000. Looking at the pattern of the scams, police also suspect Nigerians who come to study in India and learn ethical hacking as being involved in such online scams. As a huge amount of Rs 2.85 crore is involved, the case will be handed over to the crime branch.

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