'Looking for a man who...': Pune man loses 11 lakh after 'pregnancy ad' turns out to be a scam

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In yet another case of cyber fraud, a man from Pune fell victim to a cyber fraud after responding to an online advertisement purportedly posted by a “woman” seeking someone to make her pregnant. The scam cost his Rs 11 lakh, NDTV reported.

The man, who is a contractor by profession, stumbled upon the ad that read, "Looking for a man who can make me pregnant." Believing it to be genuine, he reached out to the poster and was soon asked to make a series of advance payments.

According to officials, the fraudsters demanded various charges, including “initial fees, membership fees, privacy fees”, while warning him that the “work” would only proceed once these payments were cleared. Trusting their claims, the victim transferred a total of Rs 11 lakh to the accounts provided by the scammers.

The man realised that he had been scammed when all communication from the other side ended abruptly. He then filed a police complaint.

Reports said that the authorities have initiated an investigation to trace the culprits and urged citizens to stay vigilant against such deceptive online advertisements.

As reported by NDTV, this comes after a recent incident where a 78-year-old retired Central government employee in Hyderabad was scammed of Rs 51 lakh after a fraudster who acted like a Mumbai police official. The scammer claimed that the man's SIM card was linked to bomb blast and kidnapping cases.

The victim was coerced into transferring 95% of his savings “to save himself from the case” and told not to speak to anyone until it was resolved.

Earlier this month, a 73-year-old woman from Hyderabad was similarly cheated of Rs 1.43 crore in another digital arrest scam.

Officials have urged people to remain cautious, avoid transferring money to unknown accounts, and immediately report suspicious calls or online offers to the police or cybercrime helpline, following such incidents.