Beware of online fraud: Woman loses Rs 8 lakh to Facebook friend's scam

A woman from Mumbai's Bhayandar was cheated out of Rs 8 lakh after befriending a stranger on Facebook. Alka, a housewife, had told her Facebook friend, Dr. Ryan Roland, that she needed money for her children's education. Little did she know that the so-called friend had malicious intentions.

After requesting Alka's bank details for financial help, the accused sent her a photo on WhatsApp, claiming that 80,000 pounds had been transferred from the Bank of London to her account. The fraudster then asked Alka to pay the processing fee, claiming that the money had been sent from abroad. To secure the supposed £80,000, Alka mortgaged her gold jewelry and deposited it into various accounts of the unknown accused. After this, she was blackmailed, and threatened with the police about the illegal transfer of money from abroad.

Alka eventually realized that she had been scammed and filed a complaint against Dr. Ryan, Nirmala Srivastava, and two other mobile number holders. The Navghar police have registered a case against the four people.

Alka's husband, a retired teacher, had a son and a daughter, and the family was running the household on his pension. There was a financial constraint for the expenses of the children's education, leading Alka to confide in a stranger on Facebook. This unfortunate incident should serve as a warning to all to be cautious when interacting with people online, especially those who claim to offer financial help.