61-year-old Hyderabad woman loses ₹35 lakh to scammer posing as doctor on WhatsApp

Summary

A 61-year-old woman from Hyderabad lost over Rs 35 lakh to a scammer who posed as a doctor on WhatsApp. The scammer, claiming to be Dr. Steve Rodriguez from South Manchester General Hospital in London, told her that her son had suffered a severe head injury at London Airport and was admitted illegally. The fraudster requested money for urgent treatment, and the woman transferred funds multiple times between August 8 and September 18 through online banking and digital transactions. When she requested proof of her son’s condition, the scammer refused and deleted all chat history, prompting her to realize she had been deceived. The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have issued a public warning and guidelines to prevent such online fraud.