Mumbai: A 38-year-old man working at the city-based hotel lost ₹25.51 lakh in an online freelancing scam. A case has been registered with the Cyber Police against an unidentified person for cheating.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Vinayak K, a resident of Mahim West, received a message on December 12, 2024, from someone identifying herself as Shruti, an alleged employee of an American firm named ‘The Good Guys’. She claimed the company was planning to start operations in India and needed help running advertisements. Vinayak was told he would earn Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per advertisement.
Believing the work was genuine, he created a profile through a link provided and began completing tasks. After submitting a few assignments, he received Rs 10,000 along with a Rs 1,200 commission, which convinced him of the scheme’s legitimacy.
Once his free trial tasks ended, he was informed that further work involved paid tasks. After he expressed interest, he was added to a Telegram group where other participants appeared to be earning profits. He was given access to a wallet account on a portal showing his investments and fake earnings.
Between December 22, 2024, and January 9, 2025, Vinayak transferred Rs 25.51 lakh to various bank accounts shared by the scammer. When he attempted to withdraw funds, he was told to pay additional taxes.
