Finance manager duped of ₹1 lakh after trusting fake online contact

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A finance manager from CTR Company lost Rs 1 lakh after trusting a fake contact number found online while ordering steel for a company project. The number, claimed to be of a Tata steel supplier Shri Siddheshwar Industries turned out to be operated by cyber fraudsters. An FIR has been filed at MIDC Cidco police station against Shivam Mishra, a resident of Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh.

Anilkumar Verma, senior finance manager, found the number through a search engine and contacted it to place a steel order. He received a quotation and invoice via email in CTR’s name and, believing it genuine, transferred Rs 1 lakh as an advance to the mentioned bank account. A week later, with no delivery and the number unreachable, Verma visited Siddheshwar Industries' Pune office, only to discover the company had no record of any transaction.

Modus Operandi

The fraudsters had set up a fake email ID and contact number resembling the real company's and boosted it online to appear in search results. Bank inquiry revealed the account belonged to Shivam Mishra from Mainpuri. Sub-inspector Satish Jogas is investigating the case.