Man Duped of Rs 1 Crore in Crypto Scam Through Matrimonial Website

Crypto scams are rising with fraudsters attracting investors through fake trading platforms and tempting them with high returns. Victims often lose significant sums after transferring money. In a recent incident though, a man in Baguiati, Kolkata lost nearly Rs 1 crore to a fraudulent crypto scheme by way of a matrimonial advertisement.

On November 4, a 30-year-old businessman reported a complaint to the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police that he had met a woman on a matrimonial site. After their initial talk, she shared details of a crypto investment scheme and communicated with him over WhatsApp to guide him through the process.

According to the FIR, the woman, named Dakshita, convinced him of a profitable cryptocurrency opportunity, prompting him to transfer funds over a period of two months to invest through a trading app named Bakktcoin.

The man transferred money in instalments over two months into multiple bank accounts provided by her. According to a Times of India report, he moved Rs 86 lakh from one account and Rs 13.2 lakh from another. She also shared two international customer support numbers, claiming they were linked to the Bakktcoin platform.

The man discovered the fraud when he was asked to pay additional fees in order to access his supposed returns. Efforts to contact Dakshita went unanswered, and he later received a message from another number claiming to be her sister, which he did not respond to.

He first reported the matter to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police registered a case under relevant sections of the law relating to cheating, criminal conspiracy and organised crime.

The fraudulent website and app are considered to be a part of a larger global Bitcoin scam that targets investors through social media and dating services. Authorities are working to trace the transferred funds and identify those behind the fraudulent trading platform, and also contacting the matrimonial website to gather information on the fake profile.

The case highlights the increasing risks of fake investment schemes which targets investors online and serves as a reminder for investors to exercise caution.