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This is an archive article published on May 30, 2023
Film artist in Mumbai loses Rs 6 lakh to online ‘complete task, earn money’ fraud
The victim who also works for a Khar-based company was lured into taking on tasks involving depositing money in given bank accounts and earning a ‘commission’.
The victim was lured into taking on tasks involving depositing money in given bank accounts and earning a ‘commission’, the police said. (Representational Photo)
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Film artist in Mumbai loses Rs 6 lakh to online ‘complete task, earn money’ fraud
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A film artist from Jogeshwar in Mumbai has lost nearly Rs 6 lakh to cyber fraudsters who gave him a job via Telegram app, the Maharashtra Police said.
The victim who also works for a Khar-based company was lured into taking on tasks involving depositing money in given bank accounts and earning a ‘commission’, the police said. The Khar police are investigating the online ‘complete the task, earn money’ fraud.
According to the police, the film artist received a message on Telegram on May 26 inquiring if he was interested in doing a part-time online job and earning good money.
“The complainant responded positively, and he was directed to download the Airbnb app and proceed with the tasks given to him. He followed the instructions, and after completing the first task, Rs 1,000 was credited to his account. He then completed other tasks and subsequently received more money. As he was being paid regularly, he started trusting the system,” said a police officer.
The fraudsters then started giving him a bigger ‘paid task’ of transferring money into a given account using UPI in return for earning a commission.
“He completed the task and earned the promised amount deposited in the virtual account opened in his name. He then began to get high-paying tasks, and his virtual account balance increased,” an officer said.
The man said in the complaint that after some time he noticed that the money was not being credited into his account and hence expressed his desire to exit the group. At that point, he was informed that he needed to complete more tasks and deposit money into the given account numbers, said another police officer.
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This is when the complainant realised that he was being cheated and approached the police.
The police on Monday registered a case against unidentified persons under sections 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resources) of the Information Technology Act.
Meanwhile, the city cyber police have appealed to the public not to trust any ‘complete task and earn money’ jobs or fall prey to ‘like videos and earn money’ jobs. “Only the person who made the video and uploaded it to YouTube gets paid, not those who like it. So don’t fall prey to such jobs. They are a trap,” said an officer from the Mumbai Cyber Police.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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