FPJ Cyber Secure: Man Loses ₹34 Lakh In 'Earn Via E-Task' Fraud In 10 Days

Despite the extensive public awareness campaign by MBVV's cyber police, even highly educated professionals are falling victim to the malicious schemes of cyber-criminals. A recent incident involved a 34-year-old resident from Mira Road, who works at a well-known metallurgical plant solution company in Navi Mumbai. He was defrauded of over Rs. 34 lakh in an 'earn on online task' scam.

Victim was offered part-time job to like, subscribe YT videos

The victim received a message from an unknown number, offering a seemingly attractive part-time job opportunity. The job involved simple tasks like submitting likes and subscribing to YouTube videos, promising good commissions in return. To gain the victim's trust, the cyber criminals initially credited small amounts to his account as he completed these tasks.

As the victim's confidence grew, he was directed to a Telegram handle where he was enticed to participate in larger tasks that supposedly offered high returns with prepaid incentives. Hoping to recover his investments, the victim made a series of 17 online transfers to more than a dozen bank accounts and digital wallets as specified by the fraudsters. Within a mere ten days, he ended up losing a staggering Rs. 34.37 lakh.

FIR filed against unidentified cybercrooks

Despite witnessing apparent profits on his investments, the victim was unable to withdraw either the invested money or the promised profits. Realizing that he had been deceived, he promptly reported the incident to the cyber cell and the Naya Nagar police station.

An FIR has been registered against unidentified cybercrooks under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act-2000. The investigation is currently ongoing to trace the perpetrators behind this distressing cybercrime.