A 40-year-old man in India, himself an IT professional, was allegedly duped into losing INR3.7 million (over Rs 9.5 million) under the guise of receiving lucrative commissions, reports JEE News.
It seems that there is not a single internet platform where users are safe from online fraud and scams. Despite all the warnings, consumers often ignore security precautions or unwittingly become victims of online fraud.
On November 22, the victim — a resident of Mira Road — received a telegram message from an unidentified woman. According to a report by JEE News, the woman approached the victim offering an opportunity to earn money online. The woman informed the victim that he could earn a respectable commission by rating some of her company’s products online.
Later, after catching the victim’s attention, another woman approached her and instructed her to perform certain duties on the platform. After sharing the website URL with him, he was prompted to login. The lady assured the victim that after finishing the job, he would earn good money and it would be directly transferred to his online e-wallet.
On November 28, the IT specialist followed all instructions and began completing the activities listed on the website. According to his police complaint, the aim was to give five stars to various travel properties. He was also told that he would have to pay a premium fee every time he completed a job. This fee will then be refunded along with his earnings.
After receiving all the instructions the victim started working on the assignments, his earnings were reflected in his online e-wallet. As of December 3, the victim had allegedly spent a total of INR3.78 million on assignments, with his earnings showing as INR4.15 million on the website.
The victim then requested to withdraw from his e-wallet after completing the tasks and depositing a substantial amount there. However, the application was still pending. Disappointingly, when he checked the website again, he found that the website and the Telegram group had been deleted.
Following the victim’s complaint, a case was registered under Section 420 (fraudulent and dishonest transfer of property) of the IPC and 66D (fraud of persons using computer resources) of the Information Technology Act.
Significantly more cases of cyber fraud have been reported across the globe in recent years. Even as the police and cyber security units work continuously to warn people about possible frauds and scams and urge them to take precautions, people still fall for them.
