Mumbai: What began as a seemingly harmless social media conversation turned into an elaborate emotional and financial fraud for a 40-year-old woman from Mumbai, who lost ₹16.34 lakh to a cyber criminal impersonating billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. The accused allegedly lured the victim with promises of marriage and a new life in the United States before vanishing after extracting money through digital gift cards.
The incident came to light after the woman, a resident of the Chembur–Tilak Nagar area, approached the cyber police earlier this month. An FIR has now been registered against two unidentified persons for online financial fraud and identity impersonation.
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According to the complaint, the woman was employed in the accounts department of an insurance company until October 2025 and is currently a homemaker. She stated that her interaction with the accused began in the last week of September 2025 on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The man introduced himself as Elon Musk and initially engaged in casual conversation.
Over the following weeks, the communication became frequent and personal. The accused gradually built emotional trust, portraying himself as lonely and seeking a serious relationship. He later proposed marriage and told the woman that he wished to settle with her in the United States, assuring her that all travel and visa arrangements would be handled by him.
The woman said she was later persuaded to shift the conversation to the Signal messaging application, where the exchanges became more private. Shortly thereafter, the accused introduced her to another individual who claimed to be a visa agent named “James”. This person told the woman that payments were required to process visa documentation and travel formalities.
She was instructed to purchase Amazon gift cards and share the codes via email, citing “security reasons” and confidentiality. Trusting the promises of marriage and relocation, the woman complied.
Between October 2, 2025, and January 7, 2026, the victim purchased Amazon gift cards worth ₹16,34,194 using her savings bank account. The payments were made in multiple instalments over several weeks. Bank statements and transaction records submitted with the complaint confirm the transfers.
The fraud began to unravel on January 15, 2026, when the accused demanded an additional payment of around ₹2 lakh, claiming it was required for flight tickets and final travel arrangements. When the woman refused, citing financial constraints, communication from the man posing as Elon Musk became infrequent and evasive.
Suspicious of the sudden change, the woman informed her family and reviewed the entire communication trail. It was only then that she realised she had been deceived through a carefully constructed online romance scam.
She lodged complaints with the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 on January 17 and again on January 19, receiving acknowledgement of registration. In her formal complaint, she detailed how the accused used a fake identity, emotional manipulation and false promises of marriage and overseas travel to extract money.
Based on the complaint and supporting documents — including bank statements, credit card records and Amazon gift card purchase details — a case has been registered at the East Region Cyber Police Station. Investigators are now analysing the digital trail, including IP addresses, email accounts and messaging platforms used by the accused.
The case highlights a growing trend of “romance scams” in which fraudsters impersonate well-known public figures to exploit victims emotionally before targeting them financially. Cyber experts say such scams often rely on prolonged grooming, shifting conversations to encrypted platforms and avoiding direct video interaction.
Authorities have reiterated that legitimate organisations or individuals never demand payments through gift cards or vouchers. Citizens have been advised to remain cautious of online relationships involving sudden financial requests, particularly those involving promises of marriage, foreign travel or celebrity identities.
For the complainant, the loss has been both financial and emotional. While the investigation continues, the case serves as a reminder of how digital deception, when combined with emotional manipulation, can cause severe personal harm.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
