Cybercriminals are misusing the name of Bollywood actor Sonu Sood and duping people in the name of charity. Police have arrested an individual from Muzaffarpur, Bihar for allegedly duping a man from Telangana by promising help in the actor's name.
The fraudsters are impersonating employees of a charity foundation run by Sood and have also posted their contact numbers on social media platforms.
As per a report in the Times of India, Ashish Kumar Singh from Bihar fraudulently put up his number on social media, falsely claiming he was an associate of the actor and will help those who are affected by the pandemic. The accused said that he was an 'advisor' of Sood's company Sonu Sood Corporation.
When the victim called on the number, the fraudsters listened to the victim's grievance and shared a fake identity card. When the victim asked for help with Rs 10,000, the fraudster asked for the former's family details, Aadhaar card number and bank account details.
The fraudster then collected money from the victim under the pretext of registration fees. According to the police, the fraudster told the man that Sood would donate Rs 50,000 but before that he had to pay Rs 8,300 as registration charges.
The accused again called the man and said that the actor would pay Rs 3.60 lakh but for this, the man would have to shell out Rs 60,000.
Later, the man realised the fraud and subsequently filed a complaint against the fraudster. Meanwhile, Sood said he is aware of the arrest and requested people to be wary of such fraud.
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