Chartered Accountant Scammed of Rs. 23.7 Lakh in Telegram Job Fraud

A chartered accountant (CA) in Ahmedabad fell for an online scam that promised him to give money for doing simple online tasks. This caused him to lose Rs 23.77 lakh. The CA, who works at his brother’s firm in Ellisbridge, shared in his police complaint that he had joined a Telegram group in May after receiving a message claiming he could earn Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per day by doing basic online activities like clicking on links and sharing product screenshots.

The CA was fascinated by this offer and joined the Telegram group and started doing the given tasks. At first, everything looked real. He was offered a “Plan A” with a joining fee of Rs 71,058. He thought it was a genuine opportunity, and he paid the joining fee. To build his trust, the scammers credited small profits to his bank account, like Rs 1,419, Rs 2,734, Rs 3,945, and Rs 3,250. This made him believe the scheme was genuine.

Encouraged by the initial returns, he continued investing more money between May 15 and May 26, transferring a total of Rs 23.77 lakh. However, even after completing the tasks, the returns suddenly stopped, and the group stopped responding. It became clear he had been cheated. The victim immediately contacted the national cyber fraud helpline (1930) and later filed a complaint with the Cybercrime Police.

The police have now registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and are investigating the matter to trace the real scammers.