Noida Woman Falls Victim to New Scam, Loses ₹51 Lakh After Downloading Amazon Gift from WhatsApp Group

A woman from Greater Noida lost over ₹51 lakh in a sophisticated online scam after falling for a seemingly harmless Amazon gift voucher shared in a WhatsApp group. The victim, Meenu Rani, was added to the group by unknown individuals who gained her trust through small financial incentives before luring her into a fraudulent investment scheme.

According to reports, the scam began when a man named Hari Singh approached Rani on social media, introducing himself as a stock market expert with 15 years of experience. He invited her to a WhatsApp group where members discussed investments and shared success stories. Over time, another group member, Aarti Singh, informed Rani that Hari had purchased Amazon gift vouchers worth ₹1,000 for each woman in the group. When Rani used the voucher, the amount was credited to her Amazon account, further reinforcing her trust in the group.

With her confidence built, Hari Singh convinced Rani that she could multiply her investment three to five times within a month through stock trading. She initially transferred ₹50,000 to a bank account provided by the fraudsters and was directed to use a mobile app that falsely displayed growing profits. Encouraged by the apparent gains, she continued investing, even borrowing funds from family members. In total, she transferred ₹51.50 lakh before realizing she had been scammed.

When she confronted the group, the scammers cut off all contact. She then filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime police station in Greater Noida.

This case highlights the growing use of deceptive tactics in online scams. To stay safe, avoid joining WhatsApp groups run by unknown individuals, refrain from clicking suspicious links, and never invest in schemes promising unrealistically high returns.