Lucknow Clerk Loses Rs 33,500 to Online Scammers in Almond Purchase Scheme

An office clerk at the Additional Civil Judge Junior Division in Madeyganj, Lucknow, fell victim to an online scam, losing Rs 33,500 to unidentified cybercriminals while attempting to purchase almonds via the internet.

Nitin Kumar Gupta, a resident of Triveni Nagar, came across an enticing Facebook advertisement on Sunday, offering almonds at a price of Rs 279 per kilogram. Intrigued by the offer, he clicked on the link to make a purchase. However, his phone froze abruptly, prompting him to close the Facebook application.

To his shock, Gupta discovered the next day that a substantial sum of Rs 67,000 had been deducted from his bank account. In response, he promptly reported the incident to the police.

Gupta, with the assistance of the police, managed to recover Rs 33,500 of the lost amount. This was achieved through the efforts of cybercrime investigators, who contacted the bank responsible for the fraudulent transaction. However, the remaining portion of the funds has yet to be returned to Gupta.

The police have initiated a formal FIR (First Information Report) and are actively working alongside the cybercrime unit to track down the culprits responsible for this fraudulent scheme.