A private school teacher in Coimbatore fell victim to an online scam, losing Rs 15 lakh in the process. The Coimbatore Cyber police registered a case based on a complaint filed by the teacher, Malathi, from Kalapatti. The scam began with a foreign national posing as “Clinton,” a senior manager at a London-based premium car service showroom, who befriended her on a social media platform.
Claiming to have sent her valuable gifts, he then had an accomplice pose as customs officials, demanding customs duty payment to release the alleged gifts. Malathi, in an attempt to retrieve the gifts, transferred the amount by pledging her jewelry, only for the fraudsters to disappear afterward. Despite the increasing instances of online fraud, the incident highlights the need for greater public awareness about such scams.