Gurgaon pilot loses Rs 72 lakh to investment scam

A 65-year-old former pilot from Gurgaon lost Rs 72 lakh to fraudsters posing as Elon Musk and his associates. The scams took place over six months, from January to June of last year. The pilot believed he was investing in shares of Tesla and SpaceX after being approached by fake accounts on social media. The pilot first noticed accounts by "MayeMuskXOfficials" and "IamAnnaSherman" on X. After expressing interest, he was given a WhatsApp number he was told belonged to Elon Musk. However, a search revealed the number belonged to someone in Fremont, California. The impersonator convinced the pilot to transfer Rs 2.9 lakh to a Kotak Mahindra bank account in late January 2024. When the pilot asked for confirmation of his investment, he received messages claiming his money was safely invested and encouraged to invest even more to own a Tesla vehicle. Over time, the pilot made 22 transfers using bank and PayPal accounts, totaling Rs 72 lakh. In June, another scammer, claiming to be a CEO, told him he could withdraw up to Rs 78 lakh but needed to pay Rs 7.3 lakh in taxes first. The pilot refused and requested that the tax be deducted from the total. After that, the scammers cut off all communication. Feeling cheated, the former pilot reported the fraud to the police. Cybercrime investigator Jitender has since registered a case of cheating.