Vadodara: Engineer loses Rs 21 lakh in online scam, probe on

The engineer first received messages on Telegram app in April this year when the cyber fraudsters contacted him "offering a job" that involved rating movies on a fake namesake website of popular entertainment company Eros.

The fraudsters allegedly told the complainant that he would have to "purchase the movie tickets" and "submit it online" to receive remuneration and reimbursement. (Representational/File)

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The Vadodara cyber crime police station Wednesday began investigating a complaint filed by a mechanical engineer who allegedly lost Rs 21 lakh in an online pay-for-work scam. The 31-year-old man, who works at a private firm, told the police that he was “lured” by being promised a hefty compensation for “liking” YouTube videos and other social media posts.

According to the complainant, he first received messages on Telegram app in April this year when the cyber fraudsters contacted him “offering a job” that involved rating movies on a fake namesake website of popular entertainment company Eros. The fraudsters allegedly also told the complainant that he would have to “purchase the movie tickets” and “submit it online” to receive remuneration and reimbursement.

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In his complaint, the engineer said he received Rs 10,000 as a trial bonus as well as a commission of Rs 1,200 for 28 tasks. Thereafter, as he “developed trust” in the website, the complainant deposited a total of Rs 21 lakh towards unlocking the “premium tasks”.

“They (accused) then told me that the total earnings that I was eligible for was Rs 80 lakh, but to withdraw the amount, I had to deposit an additional Rs 54 lakh. As I grew suspicious, I demanded my money back and was told to speak to a customer care executive on a WhatsApp call… When I did so, I was told that I would have to pay Rs 54 lakh to withdraw my earnings,” the complainant said.

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A case was registered against holders of the account numbers with which the complainant did transactions under IPC sections for criminal breach of trust (406) and cheating (420), and relevant sections of the IT Act.

Vadodara cyber crime officials, who are also investigating similar FIRs lodged by other victims earlier this year, have traced this modus operandi to Chinese rings that have been operating in India through local agents to lure gullible individuals into depositing hefty sums in phony bank accounts.

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