A Kanpur teacher lost ₹1.57 crore in a year-long Facebook scam where fraudsters posed as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, offering fake school projects and recovery schemes. Police are now investigating.
Ever got a friend request from a big shot on Facebook? Hold on, think twice! A retired teacher in Kanpur learned this the hard way. A gang, pretending to be world's richest men like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, duped her of ₹1.57 crore. By the time she realised what was happening, it was too late. Let's get into the details of what happened and how we can all stay safe.
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The Scam That Began with a Friendship
This whole scam kicked off in January 2025. The teacher, who lives in Kanpur, got a friend request on Facebook from someone claiming to be Mark Zuckerberg. A few days later, another person contacted her, saying he was a close aide of Elon Musk. The scammers played an emotional card to trap her. They said, 'We are opening big schools in Kanpur and want an experienced teacher like you to work with us.' Thinking this was her lucky break, the teacher started sending them money for 'investments' and 'processing fees', losing lakhs in the process.
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Fraudsters Posed Again, Promising to Help
At one point, the teacher felt something was fishy and stopped talking to them. But the gang had another trap ready. This time, a new person showed up, claiming to be from a company that 'recovers scammed money'. He told her, 'Your money is on its way in a courier, just pay a small amount for customs charges and vehicle repair costs.' Already in a panic, the teacher transferred another large sum of money to them.
The final stage of this scam happened when she tried to file a complaint online. There, she met a man named Ashok Suresh, who introduced himself as a lawyer. He claimed, 'Your money is invested in a big company. You will get back ₹2.33 crore, but you need to pay tax and stamp duty for it.' He again managed to get lakhs of rupees from her.
A Year-Long Scam
This whole con job went on for almost a year, until February 2026. Since she kept paying money but never got a single rupee back, she finally realised she had been massively cheated. Only then did she file a complaint with the police. The case is now under investigation.
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You Could Be the Next Target
Scams like these are becoming very common these days. Scammers create fake profiles of famous people, lure you with job or investment offers, and then cheat you again by promising to recover your lost money. They are always finding new ways to fool people.
How to escape cyber scams?
Don't immediately trust messages from big names like Zuckerberg or Musk. Double-check any job or investment offers you get on Facebook or WhatsApp. Never send money to anyone for 'processing fees' or as an 'advance'. Be very careful of people who claim they can 'recover your lost money'. If you feel even a little suspicious, immediately report it to the cyber helpline.
