Bengaluru techie loses Rs 11.5 lakh to Facebook travel scam

Bengaluru: A software engineer working in northeast Bengaluru was cheated of Rs 11.5 lakh when she was trying to book a trip to Europe.

The 33-year-old victim from Thanisandra told police that she discovered the page of 'Jetha Iccha Setha Jai Travels and Events' when browsing through Facebook.

She contacted them at two phone numbers shared online to inquire about a trip to Europe. The scamsters then shared the trip details with her.

Once they realised she was interested, they contacted her from different numbers and made her transfer Rs 12.77 lakh in different transactions, claiming the amounts were charges for visa and other bookings and expenses.

Once the payments were completed and the victim inquired about the trip, the suspects allegedly claimed it was cancelled.

When asked for a refund, they transferred back only Rs 1.18 lakh and refused to refund the rest.

Northeast Cybercrime Police have registered a case and an investigation is underway, officials said.