A resident of Pakyong district in Sikkim has allegedly fallen victim to an online fraud after being lured by a fake social media advertisement promising a cash prize in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to information received on May 1, Lok Bahadur Gurung, a resident of Linkey in Pakyong district, reported that he came across a Facebook advertisement offering an online coupon that claimed to provide a cash reward from the Prime Minister.

Believing the offer to be genuine, Gurung scanned the QR code attached to the advertisement. Soon afterwards, he received a message from his bank stating that Rs 1,496 had been deducted from his account on the same day.

Realising he had been duped, Gurung reported the matter to the authorities. A complaint has been registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal with acknowledgement number 32805260000274.

Officials have urged the public to remain cautious of fraudulent online advertisements, prize schemes and unsolicited QR codes circulating on social media platforms.