Mumbai: 75-year-old man lost Rs 3.3 crore to a cyber fraud

A woman from Ukraine sent him an email to buy machinery from his company.....

The 75-year-old owner of a private company lost Rs 3.3 crore to a cyber-fraud recently. A woman who claimed to be from Ukraine sent him an email claiming her company wanted to buy machinery from his company. Later, in another email, she said due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, she would like to start a business in India and claimed to have sent him a box containing $9.7 lakh in cash (approximately Rs 8 crore then) which was "seized" by Jakarta police in Indonesia. To get the box "cleared", the businessman was asked to pay various fees and he ended up losing Rs 3.3 crore in all. He lodged an FIR with the crime branch's west region cybercrime police station in September.

A police official said, "The complainant received an email from a woman who identified herself as Esema from Ukraine. Initially she said she wanted to buy machinery and later referring to the war, she expressed her wish to start business in India. She further wrote in the mail that her business partner had died in the war and hence she wanted to set up business in India."

Esema had conversation with the businessman for a month before telling him that she would be sending money in a box to him through a courier company. She asked the complainant to start a business in her name in India with it. Later, he got an email from another ID which provided him with the courier box's tracking ID number. The mail sender wrote the box had reached India and asked the businessman to pay the shipping charges.

Later, he received another mail which stated his parcel had been seized by Jakarta police at the airport. The mail sender asked him to furnish an anti-drug and money laundering clearance certificate or he would be prosecuted. The mail sender asked him to transfer certificate fees to an account number, said the police.

He was asked to submit income-tax returns, original fund clearance certificate, power of attorney, insurance and certificates from the ministry of finance. "The mail sender gave 101 account numbers to the complainant asking him to pay fees for various certificates. He kept sending money for eight months in various accounts. In all, he sent Rs 3.3 crore hoping to get the Rs 8 crore," said police, adding all account numbers were of Indian banks.