MUMBAI: A 70-year-old retired teacher who lost ₹ 70,000 to a man posing as a Florida-based doctor was cheated of another ₹ 14.38 lakh when she went online seeking help to recover her money, falling into a second, far bigger cyberfraud trap.
The East Region Cyber police have registered an FIR in the case. The frauds then allegedly escalated the deception by introducing a second caller who posed as a Customs officer. This time, however, the woman became suspicious and refused to transfer any further money. That could have been the end of the ordeal. Instead, it marked the beginning of a second fraud. The deception then took another turn. Believing that she was paying taxes, charges and attorney fees to unlock and recover the money, she continued making transfers. She subsequently approached the police, following which the East Region Cyber police registered an FIR and began investigating the fraud.
The first fraud began in September 2025 when the woman received a friend request on social media from an unknown man identifying himself as Dr Mohan, according to police. To convince her that he was based in the US, Mohan allegedly sent her a copy of an American passport on September 26, 2025. He then asked her for ₹ 15,000, which she transferred. Trusting him, the woman allegedly transferred another ₹ 55,000. “The woman received a call from a fraud posing as a Customs officer and was told to transfer ₹ 1.55 lakh. The woman was then asked to transfer ₹ 10,000 to open an account and another ₹ 71,000 towards GST. The alleged frauds sent her documents showing what appeared to be an investment account with a balance of ₹ 6.92 lakh. By August 31, police said, the retired teacher had transferred a total of ₹ 14.38 lakh to the frauds. It was only when she was unable to withdraw the supposed ₹ 6.92 lakh that she realised she had been cheated again.
Because of US regulations, after exchanging messages with her, Mohan allegedly told the woman that he was travelling to Dubai but was unable to withdraw cash. Because he was carrying US dollars, he subsequently claimed that he had been detained at Delhi airport and needed money to clear Customs duties. She was told that Dr Mohan had brought around $40,000 in cash, worth about ₹ 37.79 lakh, and would therefore have to pay a penalty in Indian rupees,” a police officer said.
Police said a man assured her that they could help recover the money and claimed he had spoken to an RBI officer who would guide her through the process. The woman allegedly received a call from another man posing as a Delhi Cyber police officer, who told her that the money involved in the original fraud had been invested in a wealth management company in her name. When the woman tried to withdraw the supposed funds, she was told to make a series of payments under different pretexts.
