Woman duped of Rs 10 lakh in Telegram app fraud; Here is how to stay safe from these scams

• Image Credit: Google

• Feb 18, 2023 | Guriya Khatun

The resident of Khandsa Road claimed that she had received a WhatsApp message on February 1 promising her huge returns on investment in online marketing.

Digital Desk: A woman was allegedly defrauded online of more than Rs 10 lakh by con artists who persuaded her to view and like YouTube videos on the Telegram app and promised her high returns on her investments. The victim, Shanu Priya Varshney, claimed she was invited to a Telegram group and asked to like various YouTube videos in exchange for a return on investment.

The resident of Khandsa Road claimed that she had received a WhatsApp message on February 1 promising her huge returns on investment in online marketing.

She was asked to join a Telegram group after being asked to watch and like a few YouTube videos. She first earned a commission in the form of money in her account when she did it.

She claimed in her complaint "Later, on February 2, I was compelled to pay Rs 8,000 in the guise of VIP membership. I opened an account on another website and began investing. I made another transfer on February 4 in the name of a Super VIP membership ".

As a consequence of this, she spent Rs 10,75,000 on the website. When she asked for a refund or profit, the con artists demanded an extra Rs 4 lakh from her.

In response to her complaint, an FIR was lodged on Thursday at the Cybercrime Wst Police Station under sections 420 (cheating) and 419 (cheating by impersonation) of the IPC against the unidentified accused.

"After the complaint was received, immediate action was taken. By alerting the bank about the scam, an effort has been made to freeze the sum,” the investigating officer, Chief Constable Naveen Kumar said.

Things to note to avoid online fraud: 

• Exercise common sense to avoid tempting offers. Never forget that being rich is neither easy nor quick.

•  Never provide any personal information, not even your location, to a stranger.

• Keep the information on your social media sites private. You should never accept a friend request from a stranger without thinking first.

•  Reject to add people as friends that you don't know.

• Refrain from making financial transactions online. You'll probably suffer a bigger financial loss than planned.