Mumbai: Cyber fraudsters duped an Income Tax Inspector of Rs 8.60 lakh in a rating scam. The victim received a link in which he was asked to provide ratings in exchange for money. A complaint has been registered regarding this matter at Azad Maidan Police Station.
As per the police, Shailesh Kumar Panda (31) works as an inspector at Aaykar Bhawan. Panda stated in his complaint that on September 11, a woman named Neha Sharma sent him a message on WhatsApp and offered him a part-time job involving giving online ratings, which Panda accepted.
Victim lured with growing balance in his prepaid account
After accepting the offer, Panda was sent some links by the girl wherein he was asked to providing ratings, for which he was paid Rs 210.
Subsequently, Panda received more links and was compensated for rating them.
Panda was also offered a pre-paid task, which he accepted. He continued to receive pre-paid tasks and paid for them. An account was created where his earnings were deposited. When Rs 4.3 lakh were deposited in his account, he encountered difficulties trying to withdraw the money.
Cyber fraudsters pressured Panda to deposit more money to enable withdrawals, but he still couldn't access the funds. In total, Panda paid Rs 8.60 lakh for what he believed were pre-paid tasks. However, when he couldn't withdraw the money, he realised he had been deceived.
Shailesh Panda reported this incident to Azad Maidan Police, leading to the registration of an FIR under IPC sections and the IT Act. The police have initiated an investigation.
