We are not influenced but addicted to social media platforms these days. And sometimes, these platform do worse then anything good, especially when we are least aware about something.
Recently, our team encountered one such case where victim Pankaj (name changed) joined a WhatsApp group after seeing advertisement on Instagram and lost around INR 30 lakh.
Here is what exactly happened.
Pankaj: Hello, sir. My name is Pankaj. I need your valuable suggestion.
ADB: Of course, Pankaj. What seems to be the problem?
Pankaj: I was share trading with Global India Services (name changed). I found their advertisement on Instagram and joined their WhatsApp group. I opened a private equity account with them and started trading based on their recommendations.
ADB: Alright. How did that go?
Pankaj: They told me there were no commissions or charges, but when I tried to withdraw my funds, they informed me I needed to pay a 30% commission, which is 10.7 lakh rupees.
ADB: Did you try to resolve this with them?
Pankaj: Yes, I requested they deduct the amount from my trading account, but they denied my request. I then asked if I could withdraw the commission amount first and transfer it to their bank account as soon as it reached my account, but they denied that as well.
ADB: What did they want you to do?
Pankaj: They insisted I transfer the commission amount to their bank account separately. I told them I don’t have the money to transfer, and since then, they have not been replying to my messages. It’s been over a month now.
ADB: Have you tried contacting their parent company?
Pankaj: Yes, Global India Services is part of Global Management, but contacting them hasn’t helped.
ADB: I see. You can document all proofs you have and can file a police complaint and also reach out to cyber crime for further assistance.
Hope this helps.
Pankaj: Yes, Thank You! Will first complaint FIR.
ADB: Yes, but don’t forget to file a complaint in Cyber Crime.
Pankaj: Okay, but does cyber crime refund money?
ADB: Yes, in some cases, it does. Make sure you do it without any further delay. In case you need further assistance, feel free to reach out!
Social media is something that help us to stay aware but at the same time our carelessness and joining any group without any proper understanding and validation can do more harm than good.
It is therefore important to:
