Mumbai Cyber Fraud: 73-Year-Old Retired Man Duped Of ₹1.40 Crore In Online Provident Fund Scam; Case Registered

Mumbai: A 73-year-old retired man lost Rs 1.40 crore in an online Provident Fund (PF) scam after a fraudster posing as an EPFO employee tricked him into making repeated payments. The Western Cyber Cell registered a case against an unidentified person for cheating on May 28.

According to the FIR, Krishnakumar P, a resident of Andheri West and a former Mumbai Port Trust employee, received a call on May 14, 2023, from a man identifying himself as Alok Mehta from the EPFO in Delhi. Mehta claimed that part of Krishnakumar’s PF amount was pending and could be released, provided he paid Rs 7,230. Krishnakumar transferred the amount via NEFT to the account provided.

Soon after, the fraudster demanded more money under the guise of security charges and other formalities. Krishnakumar complied, transferring additional amounts to various bank accounts. Two more persons, Chakravarti and Sunita Tiwari, later contacted him, saying his file had reached them and continued to extract money with similar pretexts.

Mehta then sent a forged letter over WhatsApp, bearing the emblem of the Government of India and the Union Finance Ministry, which further convinced Krishnakumar. He was told to pay Rs 3.80 lakh to receive Rs 63.08 lakh. Between May 14, 2023, and March 12, 2024, he transferred Rs 60 lakh across several bank accounts.

In March 2024, a woman named Mahi Sharma called him, claiming to be from the CBI. She said Mehta had defrauded him and that she would now manage his PF process. Claiming to investigate the matter, she sent a fake cheque of Rs 1.40 crore and demanded 30% income tax on the amount. Krishnakumar made the payment.

Later, another demand followed – this time for a No Objection Certificate (NOC), as the amount allegedly exceeded Rs 1 crore. Under various pretexts, he kept transferring funds from his State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda accounts to others, including Konkan Co-operative Bank, IDBI Bank, and more, until the total loss reached Rs 1.40 crore.

news