Thane: A 60-year-old man fell victim to a sophisticated online share trading scam, losing over Rs 64 lakh after being lured by promises of hefty profits through a fake trading platform.According to the complaint filed with the police, the victim, a resident of Kharegaon, was approached on June 27 by an unidentified woman who introduced herself as Somya Saksena, claiming to be an experienced stock trader. She contacted him through WhatsApp and assured him of high returns through investments in what she described as a “Primary Market OTC Trading” account.Trusting her, the man shared his personal details, including identification and banking information, and began transferring funds as per her directions. Over several weeks, he made multiple online transactions into various accounts linked to the fraudulent scheme, said a senior police officer, quoting the complaint.Initially, the woman showed him screenshots of supposed profits to gain his confidence and encouraged him to invest even more. However, when the victim later tried to withdraw his returns, he was asked to pay additional charges under the pretext of “tax” and “service fees.” After he refused, the scammers abruptly stopped all communication and blocked his contact.Realising he was duped, the man lodged a complaint on Aug 19. The police have since registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the perpetrators and the fake trading network used to execute the scam.Officials have warned citizens to stay alert and verify the legitimacy of online trading portals and brokers before investing. The police said that genuine trading companies never operate via personal WhatsApp numbers or unofficial apps and urged investors to use only verified financial platforms. Many citizens have fallen to the scam and are facing immense financial hardship after losing money, said a police officer.
