Kannur: Amid the police investigation into over a dozen messaging app-based cyber frauds that duped around Rs 1 crore in the Kannur district, people continue to fall prey to the same. In the fresh four cases registered at various stations, people lost Rs 5.95 lakh in online scams.

In the first case, a 33-year-old man who transferred Rs 42000 to the bank account of a company that offered a high return for the deposit, had lost the entire amount. He received the offer through WhatsApp and he transferred the amount from his account with Canara Bank on April 14. Kannur town police registered a case based on his complaint and launched an investigation.

In yet another case registered at the same station, a 65-year-old man was cheated of Rs 58000 after booking a sofa set and a bed online. He also made the deal through an online link received through his WhatsApp.

The Kannur cyber police registered another case based on a complaint lodged by a Parasinikadavu native. The 38-year-old man was duped of Rs 3.55 lakh in the pretext of high return for his investment. He had transferred the amount to the bank account of the fraudster through his Paytm account.

Meanwhile, two women from Valapattanam lost Rs 70000 each to the cyber gang. Their ordeal had begun when they received a message in his WhatsApp offering them work-from-home jobs with high returns. The job involves simple online tasks like promotion of products and services. Though small amounts were credited to their bank accounts in the initial stage, the fraudsters looted the amount from their account later. It is suspected that the cyber gang looted the amount by using the links they shared with the victims. The women had opened the links as part of their online tasks.

Valapattanam police registered separate cases and started a probe into the incidents.
In the last week alone, 13 cases of messaging app-based cyber fraud were registered at various stations in the district. A total of Rs 95.30 lakh has been lost by 13 persons in the cases.