The Mizoram Police on Thursday issued a warning about embezzlers creating fake Facebook profiles with pictures of “attractive, young Caucasian men” to befriend salaried women and swindle lakhs of rupees from them.
Sources in the CID said these “FB friends” usually dupe women by telling them that they are sending them a package and then ask the women to deposit money in certain bank accounts to obtain clearances for the delivery.
Sometimes the cheats convince the women that they want to settle down with them, and say they will send money for them to buy a house. The catch is that the victims are asked to pay a certain amount for money transfer transactions.
“The largest sum I have come across has been Rs 80 lakh. Usually it’s around Rs 20-30 lakh. Those who realise they are being duped after losing a few thousands are the lucky ones,” said a senior CID official.