A case has been made in Mumbai after scammers allegedly exploited the name of Bollywood singer Neha Kakkar to promote a fake international trading platform called FXOnet, which cheated a 45-year-old lawyer from Worli of Rs 5.02 lakh.
According to the FIR filed at Worli police station, the complainant, Advocate Shabnam Mohammad Hussain Syed, a resident of BDD Chawl in Worli, discovered fake articles and videos in June 2025 that fraudulently linked Neha Kakkar to FXOnet, portraying it as a “trusted and legal trading platform.”
Details on the scam
Syed, duped by the false promotional content, began conversing with the accused — who identified themselves as Vijay and later Jimmy D`Souza — via international phone numbers, the Telegram app (user ID: @fxonetlbot), and Zoom sessions. They also utilised professional-looking email addresses to persuade her of the platform`s legitimacy.
The fraudsters assisted Syed in opening a trading account in her name and sent investment “tips” over Telegram, claiming to be expert trading advisors who could help her develop her capital.
Between June 18 and October 9, 2025, Syed sent a total of Rs 5,02,025 using UPI from her HDFC Bank account to multiple accounts associated with Rajesh Kannan (PONNURAKU@SUPERYES), VPI ProMedia Kigali, India Impex Trading Company, and VPI 361 VPECOM.
However, she received no profits or refunds, causing her to register a complaint after discovering she had been misled.
Police begins with the Digital Probe
The Worli Police have filed a case under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act (IT). Investigators are currently tracking the suspects utilising digital and technical evidence such as Telegram chats, Zoom meeting records, and UPI transaction traces.
This isn`t the first time the common man has been duped for money with a fake celebrity identity. Earlier, the Mumbai Police had filed an FIR against an unidentified person for impersonating actor Keanu Reeves and cheating a 69-year-old woman of Rs 65,000. The fraudster allegedly convinced the victim, who lives alone in Versova, to send money for a “flight ticket to India.” The woman’s daughter reported the incident, stating the scammer had gained her mother’s trust by posing as Reeves online.
