Mumbai woman falls prey to fake Elon Musk, loses ₹16.34 lakh in online scam

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): A very shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in Mayanagari Mumbai, where cunning fraudsters duped a woman of lakhs of rupees using the identity of the world's richest man and Tesla CEO 'Elon Musk'. The fraudsters not only made the woman believe that they themselves were Elon Musk, but also showed her the dream of calling her to America, marrying her and giving her a happy life. The woman lost her hard earned money after falling into the trap of love and going abroad. On January 20, East Region Cyber ​​Police registered a case against unknown accused under fraud and IT Act and started investigation.

Friendship on social media, then America's web woven

According to the police complaint, the victim and the conmen's contact occurred between October 2025 and January 2026. The accused initiated a conversation with the woman on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and claimed to be the real Elon Musk. His words gained the woman's trust to the point where he convinced her to download a chatting app. The two engaged in lengthy conversations. The accused emotionally entrapped the woman and offered her a move to the United States, which she believed to be true.

16.34 lakh duped through Visa and gift cards

To execute the plan, the 'fake Musk' asked the woman to contact a man named 'James', whom he claimed to be his agent. James started demanding money from the woman in the name of processing fees for her US visa and flight tickets. Police investigation revealed that instead of making a direct bank transfer, the fraudsters repeatedly asked the woman to buy Amazon Gift Cards under the pretext of speeding up the process. The woman kept buying gift cards and sharing the codes, and in this way, the accused duped her of a total of Rs 16.34 lakh.

Secret revealed on extra demand of 2 lakh

This fraud continued until James suddenly demanded another ₹2 lakh from the woman. The woman became suspicious due to the persistent demands for money and the repeated use of gift cards. As soon as she began questioning him, the man claiming to be Elon Musk immediately blocked her and cut off all communication. Realizing she had been duped, the victim panicked and told her parents what had happened. On the advice of her family, she sought police help. Currently, the cyber police are searching for the accused based on technical evidence.