Cyber Fraud: Woman lured by extra money loses Rs.4 lakh online

A 30-year-old lady working for a private firm in Pimpri Chinchwad is the latest victim of online task fraud.

The woman, a resident of Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, lost Rs 3.98 lakh to cybercrooks between July 13 and July 17. She submitted a complaint with the cybercrime cell, and a case was filed following verification.

According to the complainant, on July 13, she received a link on her social media page regarding a part-time employment opportunity. “The complainant registered through that link and was connected with a woman via a mobile messenger app,” the officer explained.

The woman was assigned a task and instructed to recharge Rs 3,000 for the first assignment and Rs 5,508 for the second task.

“She informed us she transferred the funds and accomplished the chores. She declined to transfer more for the following assignment. The lady with whom the complainant was associated enticed her to invest more and earn more. The victim then invested Rs.56,000,” the officer explained.

The woman then sought an additional Rs 1.20 lakh from the complainant. When the complainant declined to transfer the funds, the woman informed her that she would not receive the money she had previously invested.

“She also offered to lend money to the victim and suggested that they split the profit. The victim, believing her, transferred Rs.80,000 more,” the officer stated.

The victim kept transferring money. “When the complainant wanted to stop and withdraw her share, she told her she needed to pay Rs 1.50 lakh as tax,” the officer stated.

The victim deposited Rs 3.98 lakh to several UPI IDs in four days. “The victim quickly realised she had been duped and approached the police,” said the officer.