Three engineers and one student from Pune were recently victims of this internet fraud, resulting in a total loss of around Rs 36 lakh.
Digital Desk: If you ever receive a text asking you to
like YouTube videos or write hotel reviews in exchange for money, block the
number and do not engage in any dialogue. Unfortunately, many people have
already fallen victim to this fake task scam. These messages are typically
received on WhatsApp from unknown numbers. The sender appears as a recruiter,
offering money in exchange for liking YouTube videos and submitting hotel
evaluations. Three engineers and one student from Pune were recently victims of
this internet fraud, resulting in a total loss of around Rs 36 lakh.
According
to a TOI article, four persons have fallen victim to a series of online
assignment frauds, including three software engineers and a computer
programming language student. Cybercriminals have cost them a total of Rs 36.11
lakh. These events have been reported to the police in various places.
On
May 10, a 28-year-old IT professional filed the initial complaint with the
Chinchwad police in Pune. He'd gotten a message about a part-time work-from-home
opportunity that offered extra money. The mail described duties such as rating
hotels online and receiving cash for doing so. The professional initially
received his cash and became confidence in the system. However, the scam
artists then persuaded him to invest money on prepaid tasks. He transferred a total of
Rs10.95 lakh to several bank accounts and UPI IDs between May 10 and May 17.
When he tried to withdraw his money, he was forced to make further payments,
much to his dismay.
A 27-year-old software
engineer from Hinjewadi was approached in a similar situation and given a 30%
fee on prepaid jobs connected to following celebrities on a social networking
site. Unfortunately, she lost Rs 8.75 lakh after transferring the funds in just
three days, between May 6 and May 9. Hinjewadi police have opened an
investigation into her death.
A 31-year-old senior
software developer from Warje was also a victim of an online task fraud scam on
March 29. She was initially asked to transfer Rs 200 and received Rs 450 in exchange.
She was assigned six jobs and given Rs1,100 a few days later. When her account
reached Rs48,00, however, the scammers quickly closed it. They persuaded her to
spend Rs1.40 lakh to reactivate her account, which allowed her to withdraw Rs
8,000. Unfortunately, she lost a hefty Rs 8.72 lakh in the end.
These fraudulent activities have targeted both IT professionals
and students. Between May 6 and May 8, a 23-year-old student lost Rs 7.69 lakh.
He not only exhausted his personal bank account, but also moved funds through
the accounts of his brothers. The authorities are diligently investigating
these occurrences with the goal of apprehending the cybercriminals behind these
scams.
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