A 48-year-old teacher working at a private college in Dadar became the victim of an online fraud, losing ₹1 lakh to cybercriminals who used fake Google Pay transactions and phone calls to trick her.
According to police, the incident occurred on September 3 around 2 pm while the teacher was having lunch in the Biology department of her college. She received repeated calls from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an acquaintance of her husband, and claimed that her husband had asked him to request a transfer of ₹5,000.
To gain her trust, the fraudster first made a ₹1 transaction and then sent a fake message showing that ₹50,000 had been transferred to her account. He then called again, claiming that the amount had been sent by mistake and asked her to return ₹45,000 through Google Pay. Believing him, the woman transferred the amount to the given ID.
Shortly after, the same caller claimed that another ₹55,000 had been wrongly transferred and requested her to return it as well. The teacher, trusting the caller, once again transferred the money. In total, she ended up losing ₹1 lakh.
The fraud came to light when she discussed the matter with her husband, who confirmed that he had not asked anyone to transfer money. Realising she had been duped, her husband immediately reported the matter to the cyber helpline (1930). Later, the teacher lodged a formal complaint at Dadar Police Station.
Police have registered a case and begun investigations. Preliminary inquiries suggest the fraudsters used computer devices and digital payment applications to siphon off the money. Investigators are now tracing the caller’s mobile number and bank transactions.