The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Circle and police have taken swift and stern action in response to complaints from citizens being defrauded of millions of rupees through online social media scams, where fraudsters posed as sellers of affordable sacrificial animals. Two fraudsters have been arrested so far.
This scam has reached new heights, with fraudsters posting enticing pictures and videos of high-quality bulls, goats, and cows on social media, offering them at significantly lower prices, up to Rs50,000 less than the market rate to lure people.
According to the affected citizens, the scammers are posing themselves as residents of various districts, including Attock, Chakwal, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, and areas adjacent to Rawalpindi, to carry out their illegal business, claiming to offer sacrificial animals at discounted prices.
Scammers use viral social media platforms to deceive buyers, sources said, adding that the animals in the pictures or videos are not the ones being sold. They demand advance payment, with prices ranging from Rs150,000 to 200,000 for larger animals and Rs70,000 to 120,000 for smaller ones, and offer a transportation discount to sweeten the deal. However, after payment, the animals delivered do not match the ones advertised.
According to an affected citizen named Muhammad Azim, he had paid Rs80,000 for a sheep, but the one delivered was worth no more than Rs50,000. Similarly, Muhammad Shakeel shared his experience, saying he had paid Rs155,000 for a bull, but what he received was a lean animal, far from what was promised.
Meanwhile, the sale of small and large animals has also begun in the open market. A cattle farm has been set up in New Lalazar where animals will be weighed and sold from June 5.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2024.
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