FPJ Cyber Secure: 4 Duped Of ₹59 Lakh In Earn-From-Home Scam In Bhayandar, Probe Underway

Mira-Bhayandar: Four people from Bhayandar collectively lost a whopping ₹59.47 lakh by falling prey to the evil designs of cyber fraudsters in a period of less than two months. The victims include three people working in private companies and a mobile shop owner who lost ₹39.71 lakh, ₹12 lakh, ₹5.29 and ₹90,000 respectively.

All were duped with the lure of highly profitable earn-from-home schemes related to fake online pre-paid tasks and investments in stock trading.

Earn-from-home fraud

Notably, the frauds took place between November 21, 2023 and January 10, 2024. In an apparent bid to win the trust of targets, the fraudsters credited small amounts in their bank accounts and later enticed them into making bigger investments for reaping more profits. However neither did they get their investments back, nor the profit. Based on the complaints, a joint FIR under section 420 of the IPC and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act was registered at the Navghar police station in Bhayandar and MBVV’s cyber cell against the unknown fraudsters on Sunday.

Cyber cell team's message to citizens

Further investigations were underway. The cyber cell has advised citizens not to click on unsolicited links, share personal details like one time passwords (OTP) and refrain from conducting financial transactions with strangers who have been floating fake investment schemes on the platforms of social networking sites. Citizens can approach the local police station or login: www.cybercrime.gov.in or call the cybercrime cell on the helpline number 1930 to report online frauds to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.