Cybercriminals are now using newspaper advertisements to lure people and dupe them of lakhs. In one such case, a 70-year-old retired teacher from Goregaon was swindled out of Rs 11.8 lakh by a cyber fraudster. The woman came across an advertisement in a leading newspaper for a part-time job and contacted the provided numbers. She was later falsely accused of money laundering and was “digitally arrested” for several hours. Under pressure, she was forced to break her fixed deposits, ultimately losing Rs 11.8 lakh before realising she had fallen victim to cyber fraud. The North Cyber Cell has registered an FIR and is investigating the matter.  

According to the complainant, the fraud took place between April and December last year. She first came across an advertisement in a leading English newspaper about “PenPencil Company Pvt Ltd,” which offered a work-from-home opportunity for product packaging. She contacted the number provided in the advertisement, where a man identifying himself as Vinod answered the call and explained the job details. She was then asked to make an advance payment of Rs 53,150 via Google Pay.