Noida:

A Greater Noida resident has allegedly fallen victim to a cyber fraud that cost him Rs 20.54 lakh after he was lured into the scam through a text message offering a work-from-home job, which involved rating hotels on Google Maps for monetary rewards.

The police said they have registered an FIR against an unidentified accused and launched investigation into the case, which took place in January this year but reported to them only on Monday.

In his complaint to the police, Sandeep Kumar, who lives in Chi-1 sector of Greater Noida, said, “I received the text on his WhatsApp number that I can do a work-from-home job in which I need to rate hotels on Google Maps and I will receive money in return as rewards.” He was then added to a Telegram group with about 100 members, where he started performing the rating tasks. As he continued, the tasks soon included investment activities, according to the FIR.

“I started rating the hotels etc. With these tasks, there were some investment tasks too where I invested Rs 50,000 first, but I couldn’t withdraw the money from the website,” Sandeep Kumar said, adding that when attempted to withdraw his money, he was asked to pay an additional Rs 5 lakh as tax.

Realising he had been defrauded,Sandeep Kumar found himself unable to access the Rs 20,54,464 he had invested, he claimed.

“They asked me to pay Rs 5 lakh more as tax to their account, where I got to know that I have been a victim of financial fraud. I am not able to withdraw my approximately Rs 20,54,464 invested money,” Sandeep Kumar stated.

In addition to the financial loss, Sandeep Kumar alleged he has been receiving “death threats” from the fraudsters via Telegram and phone calls.

“I am getting death threats from these people on Telegram as well as on calls to defreeze the accounts,” he added.

A police official said an FIR was registered at the Cyber Crime police station in Noida Sector 36 and the matter is under investigation.

“The FIR has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), and provisions of the Information Technology Act,” the local police official added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

 A married couple have been arrested for allegedly duping people on the pretext of providing government jobs, police on Wednesday said.

Both the accused were allegedly changing their address and identities for last six months to evade arrest, they said.

The accused have been identified as Vikas Tyagi (35), and his wife Amita Tyagi, both residents of Ghaziabad, police said.

“On May 10, the staff of the north district police received a tip-off regarding a proclaimed offender couple involved in a case of cheating registered against them in Laxmi Nagar Police Station,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) said.

The officer further said that they were hiding themselves inside a rented flat in Govind Puram in Ghaziabad and a raid was conducted and both were apprehended.

“Both told police that they have been cheating people on the pretext of providing government jobs to the candidates who are preparing for the government jobs examinations,” said the DCP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of cybercrime cases over the years. Job scams contribute to the highest number of cyber crimes reported in the country. Cybercriminals find innovative ways to scam people out of their hard-earned money. Security agencies keep coming up with new solutions to counter these scams, but there is a need to be aware of the methods they use to target innocent people. Recently, a user shared that as he was looking for a new job, he fell victim to fraud and lost $3,000 (approximately Rs 2.5 lakh) as a result.

Product designer Naved Alam shared his ordeal on X (formerly Twitter). He said that he wanted to share his story so that people are aware of such cyber frauds and not fall prey to these criminals. “Recently, I fell victim to a scam on Twitter and lost $3000.It started with a promising opportunity – @crankybugatti  on Twitter reached out to me regarding a design role in a company related to a web3 communication app called @SocialSpectra,”  the social media user said alongside screenshots of his conversation with a user about a prospective job opportunity.

It started with a promising opportunity – @crankybugatti on Twitter reached out to me regarding a design role in a company related to a web3 communication app called @SocialSpectra. pic.twitter.com/7cIwfMUWeK

— Naved Alam (@Navedux) March 31, 2024

Mr Alam said that the conversation moved from X to Discord where he was asked basic questions. “The conversation moved to Discord, where things seemed legitimate. Basic design questions were asked, and they even seemed impressed with my work. Then came the request for an HR call, and I was provided with a link to join. Little did I know, it was a trap,” he said.

He continued, “I downloaded what I thought was an in-house communication app for the call. Instead, it was malware that drained my @phantom wallet and liquidated my staked assets on @KaminoFinance.” 

The product designer said that “in a matter of moments”, he lost the money to the cyber criminals. He wrote on X, “In a matter of moments, I lost $3000 to scammers who prey on unsuspecting individuals looking for legitimate opportunities. This experience has taught me to be more vigilant and cautious online. Always verify the authenticity of job offers and never download anything unless you’re absolutely sure of its source.”

Mr Alam also advised people to be careful as these cybercriminals are “targeting designers and developers or any working professional.”

Since being shared, his post has amassed over a lakh views.

“Faced a similar scam lost all my assets. It’s tough to move on and belief in crypto again,” said a user.

“Lol this person is in my DMs right now as we speak,” said another user.

Another wrote, “Iam sorry for you bro. I have encountered the same guy, the application got crashed on my pc so couldn’t join the hr call,  he said it’s my fault that  I didn’t join call so have raise another ticket , have sensed something fishy there and immediately uninstalled it from my pc.”

“Sadly I had a similar experience with them,” commented a person.

A user added, “no matter how secure you make your tech. a human will always be the weakest link in the chain”

“This dude reached out to me too. I procrastinated when he redirected me to discord, and then forgot about it. Procrastination saved my assets. Sorry for your loss dude. Stay safe out there,” said another X user

Thane:

A 29-year-old man from Navi Mumbai has allegedly been cheated of Rs 20.22 lakh after being lured by fraudsters with an online job offer promising lucrative returns, police said on Sunday. The Navi Mumbai cyber police have registered an FIR in this connection against four persons, they said.

The accused contacted the victim, hailing from Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai, between October 5 and 10 through a Telegram ID and WhatsApp and offered him a pre-paid online task promising lucrative returns. They also asked him to make payments in certain accounts, a cyber cell official said quoting the complaint.

The victim did the job and also made payments worth Rs 20,22,444. After completing the task, when he sought a refund of the amount paid and also returns for the work completed by him, the accused gave evasive replies, the police said.

The victim lodged a complaint, based on which the cyber police on Saturday registered a case against four persons under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) as well as provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)