Facebook friend request trap: One click for love cost this 80-year-old Mumbaikar ₹9 crore

Mumbai: In a shocking case of online fraud, an 80-year-old Mumbai resident was swindled out of nearly ₹9 crore over 21 months by people posing as four different women, who investigators now believe may all have been the same person.

The elderly man’s ordeal began in April 2023, when he sent a Facebook friend request to a woman named "Sharvi." Although she did not initially respond, he later received a friend request from the same account, which he accepted. What began as a casual online interaction soon spiralled into an emotionally and financially draining trap.

After exchanging phone numbers, the two began chatting on WhatsApp. Sharvi claimed she was separated from her husband and was living with her children. She gradually began requesting financial help, citing her children’s medical issues.

Soon after, another woman named "Kavita" contacted the man via WhatsApp, introducing herself as someone Sharvi knows. Kavita eventually began sending explicit messages and also started asking for money.

By December 2023, the situation escalated further. A third woman, "Dinaz," contacted the man, claiming to be Sharvi’s sister. She informed him that Sharvi had died and demanded money for hospital expenses. Dinaz allegedly used screenshots of past conversations between Sharvi and the man to emotionally blackmail him. When the man refused to send more money, she reportedly threatened to take her own life.

Yet another woman, "Jasmine," later entered the picture, posing as Dinaz’s friend and requesting financial help. Driven by sympathy and emotional manipulation, the elderly man continued sending money.

Nearly ₹9 crore over 21 months

Between April 2023 and January 2025, the man made 734 separate transactions, transferring a total of ₹8.7 crore. With his savings depleted, he even borrowed ₹2 lakh from his daughter-in-law and later approached his son for another ₹5 lakh.

Suspicious of his father’s sudden financial distress, the son confronted him. It was only then that the truth came to light. The man, overwhelmed by the realisation that he had been defrauded, was hospitalised and diagnosed with dementia.

A cybercrime complaint was officially filed on July 22, 2025. Investigators are now trying to trace the fraudster and suspect that all four women, Sharvi, Kavita, Dinaz, and Jasmine, may have been aliases used by a single person.