Delhi Citizens Lose Life Savings in Rising Online Scams

New Delhi: An elderly English tutor, a working woman, and two students from Delhi have lost their hard-earned savings in separate online scams, showing how cybercriminals continue to exploit fear, trust, and opportunity to cheat innocent people.

According to The Times of India, the scams involved fake police calls, fraudulent investment apps, and bogus job offers. In each case, the victims were deceived through trust-building, emotional pressure, and fast fund transfers, leaving them with almost no chance of recovery.

In one case, a 78-year-old English tutor from east Delhi lost ₹13 lakh after receiving a call from a man posing as a police officer. The caller falsely accused him of being linked to a money-laundering case and threatened that his phone number would be disconnected. Later, another person pretending to be a CBI officer convinced him to transfer his savings to a “security firm” for verification. Between December 21 and 26, the man sent money to accounts in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and West Bengal. A year later, he is still waiting to recover his funds.

“All my savings for a house are gone. My health deteriorated, and I lost weight,” he said.

In another case, a 40-year-old woman from Ashok Vihar was duped of ₹21 lakh through a fake stock trading app. After seeing an online advertisement, she joined a WhatsApp group with over 100 members and began investing small amounts. She initially received profits, which encouraged her to invest more. Later, she was told to download a cloned version of a popular trading app and transfer larger sums. When she tried to withdraw her money, the fraudsters blocked her.

“I haven’t received a single rupee back,” she said.

A 21-year-old Political Science student from Rohini lost ₹1.4 lakh after falling for a fake cashback and commission scheme. The student made payments through QR codes, hoping to recover earlier losses, but most of the money was routed through multiple bank accounts. Police were able to recover only ₹40,000.

Similarly, a UPSC aspirant from Bihar, living in Delhi’s Kamla Nagar, lost ₹93,000 to a fake work-from-home scam that offered ₹50 per task for rating hotels and restaurants. The scammers demanded “small fees” to continue working, which kept increasing until the victim’s savings were gone.

“It was my coaching fees, given to me by my family, but I lost it all,” he said.

Police said the scams reflect a growing trend of criminals using psychological manipulation to gain victims’ trust. Citizens have been urged not to share personal or banking information with unknown callers, not to click on suspicious links, and to verify all offers and job postings before making any payments.

Investigations into the cases are ongoing, but officials warn that such scams are spreading fast — and a single call or click can wipe out a lifetime of savings.