Mumbai man tries selling sofa online for Rs 7,000, loses Rs 63,500 to cyber criminals.

A 24-year-old man who tried to sell his old iron sofa on an online marketplace was duped by a cyber-fraudster who posed as a potential client on phone and tricked him into sending Rs 63,500. An FIR has been registered in the matter at the Navghar police station in Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar commissionerate and the probe is on to find the accused.

Just a few days back in a similar cyber-fraud case reported by The Indian Express, a 19-year-old student from Matunga trying to sell his old sofa online was duped of Rs 1.68 lakh.

The complainant, in this case, is a resident of Bhayandar (east) and works as a lab operator with the local municipality. He wanted to sell his old iron sofa online for Rs 7,000 for which on July 16, he gave an advertisement on OLX, an online marketplace.

The same night, the fraudster called him up posing to be a



furniture shop owner from Andheri. The fraudster said he wants to buy the sofa and sent the complainant a QR code on his mobile phone.

The fraudster asked the complainant to scan the QR code and send Rs 1 by e-wallet and he would receive Rs 2. The complainant scanned the QR code and sent Rs 1 and soon received Rs 2 in his bank account.

The fraudster then told the complainant to send Rs 3,500 and he will receive Rs 7,000. The complainant trusted him and sent the money but the fraudster said that he did not receive the money due to some technical error and sent another QR code.

The fraudster kept lying that he did not receive the money and kept sending more QR codes. The complainant trusted him and scanned the QR codes multiple times and ended up transferring Rs 63,500. He later realised he had been duped following which he approached the local police.