HYDERABAD: In a sophisticated cyber fraud, two friends from Amberpet were duped of Rs 17 lakh by a Facebook user. The victims were lured in the name of cryptocurrency investment. One of them had established contact with a person on Facebook, who introduced himself as a UK-based crypto businessman. He persuaded the victim to invest in his venture and promise huge profits. When the victim was convinced, a URL was shared with him that led to a website called ‘Trust Value UK’.
After the victim made an investment, he was tricked into investing more as the website displayed his profits were increasing. Soon, he asked another friend to invest in it. Both of them invested Rs 17 lakh in four instalments. However, they grew suspicious as the number kept increasing everyday but they were not able to withdraw the amount. The fraudster then told them to invest more in order to be able to withdraw it. When the victims asked him to return their money, he switched off his phone and deleted his Facebook account. The cops have launched a detailed probe.