60-year-old priest from Pandavapura transfers Rs. 1.40 lakh in stages, lured by sweet talk

Pandavapura: A fraudster, posing as a 20-year-old woman, has defrauded a 60-year-old priest through persistent chatting on social media platforms. The priest, charmed by her smooth talk, ended up parting with Rs. 1.40 lakh in multiple transactions.

Vijay Kumar, the priest at Shivashaila Temple in Pattasomanahalli village, Pandavapura taluk, was introduced to the woman, identified as ‘Siri Reshma’, via a fake Facebook account. An avid user of Instagram and Facebook, Kumar accepted a friend request from a profile featuring a woman’s photo.

Living alone and away from his family, Vijay Kumar quickly became engaged in daily conversations with the woman, who initially approached him under the pretence of needing help with living arrangements and health issues. Gradually, she sent him reels and videos of herself dancing to film songs, which deepened the priest’s trust.

As their interaction grew, the woman fabricated stories about financial difficulties and claimed to be an orphan, further manipulating a smitten Vijay Kumar into transferring large sums of money to her.

Vijay Kumar, deceived by the woman’s fabricated stories, transferred approximately Rs. 1.40 lakh to her via UPI apps. Despite her promises to meet in person, the woman never showed up and the priest never received any of the money back. Vijay Kumar was repeatedly instructed by the woman to visit specific locations, but whenever he arrived, the woman was absent.

Suspecting that he had been conned after losing Rs. 1.40 lakh, Vijay Kumar discovered a profile on Instagram under the name ‘Siri’ that matched the woman who had chatted with him and to whom he had sent the money.

Vijay Kumar discovered that the Instagram profile of ‘Siri’ was genuine and belonged to a famous social media influencer from Telangana with over seven lakh followers. Unfortunately, Vijay Kumar learnt that he had been scammed when he reached out to the real ‘Siri’.

The fraudster had downloaded videos and photos from the influencer’s profile and used them to deceive Vijay Kumar. The scam was executed through a fake Facebook profile, raising concerns about identity theft and financial misconduct.

A complaint has been filed with the Mandya Cyber Police Station, seeking justice for the financial loss incurred by Vijay Kumar.

Know with whom you interact online

This case highlights the risks of interacting with unknown individuals online. Fake social media profiles are frequently used to deceive and defraud unsuspecting people. Users have to exercise caution, verify the identities of those they interact with, and avoid transferring money to individuals they have not met in person.