Hyderabad resident trapped in sextortion scam, loses Rs 3.4 lakh

A Gowliguda resident lost Rs 3.4 lakh after falling prey to a sextortion racket involving video call blackmail. Cybercrime police registered a case and warned citizens against accepting calls from unknown numbers or transferring money under threats

Hyderabad: A resident of Gowliguda became the latest victim of a sextortion and online payment fraud and ended up losing Rs 3.4 lakh after being trapped through a video call blackmail racket.

According to the complaint, the victim received a call on October 5 from an unknown woman who identified herself as Jyothi Gupta and attempted to seduce him. Soon after, another video call followed from a man claiming to be Vikram Goswami, allegedly wearing a uniform, who threatened to circulate the victim’s recorded video on social media and ruin his reputation.

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“Out of fear, the victim was coerced into making multiple payments through digital modes to an account in the name of Manjeet Singh, on the assurance that the matter would be closed and the money refunded,” cybercrime officials said.

However, the suspects later hacked the victim’s bank accounts, causing further losses. The fraudsters also intimidated him by falsely claiming that the woman had died and demanded more money to avoid legal consequences.

Based on a complaint, the Cybercrime Police booked a case and are investigating.

They requested citizens not to accept video calls from unknown numbers or transfer money under threats.

Victims of cyber fraud can report incidents immediately by calling the 1930 helpline or logging complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in.