COIMBATORE: A 26-year-old man from Erode became the latest victim of online fraud after he was allegedly cheated of Rs 2 lakh, it was revealed on Monday. A month ago, Manickam (name changed), who works at an automobile showroom in Perundurai, received an e-mail which claimed that he had won a lottery for `6 crore and two high-end laptops.An unsuspecting Manickam then responded to the mail. “I was really excited after I got the mail. I replied to it asking for the procedures and gave my cellphone number. The next day, a man, who identified himself as James Grey based in London, called me over phone and said that the amount would be sent to me as a cheque. However, he said that I should pay Rs 24,000 as initial processing fee,” Manickam told reporters on Monday. Later, the caller reportedly demanded money from Manickam citing various reasons such as customs clearance, mobility charges, among others.Manickam claimed that so far, he had deposited nearly Rs 2 lakh in various instalments in the account given by the caller.“Even after I paid so much money, he kept demanding another Rs 4.5 lakh to get legal clearance from the British High Court. Then, I started suspecting his motives and approached the Erode police superintendent’s office. I was shocked when the police suggested that it could be a fraud,” Manickam recalled.Based on his subsequent complaint, the Erode police referred the case to the cyber wing of the Coimbatore City Police. An inquiry in this regard is currently on. “I have lost all the money I saved for years,” Manickam said.
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