Mumbai: A 34-year-old woman working as a manager with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has allegedly been cheated of Rs.15.30 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured her into an online task-based investment scam under the pretext of earning money by reviewing and rating hotels and restaurants on Google. The case has been registered against five unidentified persons at the East Region Cyber Police Station.
According to the FIR, the woman, who resides in Kurla East with her husband, was browsing Instagram on October 27, 2026, when she came across an unknown link. After clicking on it, she was contacted by a person through WhatsApp from an unknown mobile number, who offered her an online job.
The caller told her that she could earn between Rs.50 and Rs.100 for every task by reviewing and rating hotels and restaurants on Google. He also assured her that completing more tasks would help her earn substantial profits. The woman was subsequently sent a Telegram link, where she was introduced to several individuals operating under different Telegram IDs, including Ananya, Rajinder Singh, Ishita Biswas, Manpreet Kaur, Sanjeev Kumar and Pradishna Reshma.
Initially, she was asked to complete simple review and rating tasks. After submitting her UPI details, she received payments of Rs.1,350 and Rs.3,666 as returns for completing the tasks. This helped the fraudsters gain her confidence. Later, the accused introduced her to investment-based tasks and sent her a link to an investment platform. She was asked to complete 32 tasks involving hotel and restaurant reviews and ratings.
Between October 29 and November 1, 2026, the fraudsters allegedly persuaded her to transfer money through UPI, IMPS and RTGS transactions into various bank accounts, citing different reasons related to the tasks and investments. According to the FIR, she transferred a total of Rs.15,35,873 from her HDFC Bank account. Although she received ₹5,016 as returns in her bank account, the remaining amount of Rs.15,30,857 was allegedly withheld by the fraudsters.
On November 1, while checking her investment account on the platform, she noticed that a profit of Rs.42 lakh was being displayed. When she attempted to withdraw the amount, the Telegram operators allegedly refused to process her withdrawal, citing various reasons, including that she had not previously withdrawn a substantial amount.
Despite repeated requests, the accused allegedly neither returned her invested money nor released the displayed profits. Realising that she had been cheated, the woman approached the national cybercrime helpline 1930 on November 4 and registered a complaint. She subsequently approached the East Region Cyber Police Station on November 6.
The police have registered a case against five unidentified persons, including the WhatsApp contact, Telegram account holders and beneficiaries of the bank accounts used to receive the money. Further investigation is underway to identify the accused and trace the money trail.
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