Salesman cheated of Rs 14L in IPO investment fraud

Surat: A 21-year-old salesman from Limbayat has allegedly been cheated of Rs 14.60 lakh in an online investment scam involving fake share market and IPO returns, police said. Surat cybercrime police registered an FIR on Sunday against an unknown accused and launched an investigation.

According to the complaint, the victim, who works with a Saroli-based firm, came across an investment advertisement on social media in Dec 2025. After clicking on it, he was added to a WhatsApp group where members shared screenshots of alleged profits and discussed investment tips.

On Dec 22, he received a message from a woman identifying herself as the group admin, along with others who began guiding him on investment strategies. Initially, the victim reportedly earned small returns, which led him to trust the group.

In Jan, he was offered a “VIP membership” and asked to create an account on a website. He then began transferring money as instructed by the accused, while his account on the platform showed increasing profits.

Police said the victim transferred a total of Rs 15.20 lakh by Feb 13. However, he was allowed to withdraw only Rs 60,000. When further withdrawal requests were blocked, he realised he had been cheated.

He subsequently contacted the cybercrime helpline (1930) and filed a complaint.