7 steps for recovering money if you become victim of an online recruitment scam

No real job requires any kind of fee, including administrative, visa processing, work permits, certificates, authorizations, “Affidavit of Guarantee”, “Letter of Attestation”, “Affidavit of Oath” “Affirmation”, or other legal or immigration fees. No real company ever requires you to make a “refundable” deposit before you are interviewed. No real company says it will reimburse you for expenses. As soon as you are asked to pay any money for anything, including a visa or work permit, that tells you there is no job, it is a scam.

However, Cyber Laws offer a legal recourse to recover your money if you are a victim of such scams. Online Recruitment Scammers can be booked under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and The Indian Penal Code.
Here are 7 steps that will help you recover your money

1. File a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell to trace the ip address from which you received the scam email.

2. Submit a Customer Dispute Resolution Form with the Bank from where you have transferred the money.

3. Make a complaint to the Bank in which the Scammer has a bank account, where you have transferred the money.

4. File a complaint before the Adjudicating Officer, Information Technology Act, 2000 against the Bank where the scammers bank account is functional, along with making the IP address a party so that the Court orders a tracing of the address.

5. The court will further conduct an inquiry into your complaint and the matter will be heard and decided within a period of 6 to 9 months.

6. The complaint should be filed in the format as specified in The Information Technology (Qualification and Experience of Adjudicating Officers and Manner of Holding Enquiry) Rules, 2003; which is as follows:

PROFORMA FOR COMPLAINT TO ADJUDICATING OFFICER UNDER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT – 2000

I
1. Name of the Complainant
2. E-mail address
3. Telephone No.
4. Address for correspondence
5. Digital Signature Certificate, if any

II
1. Name of the Respondent
E-mail address
3. Telephone No.
4. Address for correspondence
5. Digital Signature Certificate, if any

III
Damages claimed
Fee deposited
Demand Draft No.____________dated __________Branch__

IV
Complaint under Section/Rule/Direction/Order et
c.

V
Time of Contravention

VI
Place of Contravention

VII
Cause of action

VIII
Brief facts of the case

(Signature of the Complainant)

7. The Application Fees for filing a Complaint is Rs. 50 and depending on the claim amount a court fees is payable.

The author, Puneet Bhasin, is a Mumbai-based Cyber law Expert and specialises in cyber laws which encompasses cyber crime litigation, E-commerce laws and Intellectual Property Rights in Cyberspace.

Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice and does not constitute an Attorney-Client relationship between the author and reader.

Curated For You

Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9 Winner LIVE Updates: Kalyan Padala wins Nagarjuna’s show

Zomato agent forced to park bike 600 metres away and walk to deliver order in Bengaluru, criticises customer in viral video

Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9 winner is Kalyan Padala, reveals SCREEN poll