Digital dilemma: 15-year-old Bengaluru student faces Rs 1.4 lakh loss through mother's phone; here's how
By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Feb 11, 2024, 3:59 PM ISTA 15-year-old student from Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, lost Rs 1.4 lakh to fraudsters after responding to a WhatsApp message offering a part-time job. He transferred money from his mother's and grandmother's accounts before realizing it was a scam. Police are investigating under the IT Act.
A 15-year-old student from Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, fell victim to fraudsters and lost a staggering Rs 1.4 lakh while innocently using his mother's phone. The teenager, identified as Shashank (name changed), a class 10 student at a private school, inadvertently responded to a WhatsApp message offering a part-time job opportunity that appeared on his mother's phone around 10 am on February 5th.
According to reports filed with the Basaveshwaranagar police, Shashank was enticed by the promise of easy money and began engaging in tasks assigned by the fraudsters. Initially, he was tasked with liking and subscribing to YouTube videos, for which he received nominal payments according to the TOI report.
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However, the situation escalated when the fraudsters persuaded Shashank to undertake more lucrative tasks, involving significant monetary investments. For the following day, he transferred Rs 1.2 lakh from his mother's account and Rs 20,000 from his grandmother's account, falling prey to the scam.
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As demands increased, Shashank began to doubt their authenticity and confessed to the parents who later contacted the police.
In response to the complaint, the police have launched an investigation under the IT Act and have taken steps to freeze the funds in the fraudsters' accounts. Additionally, they have advised the family to report the incident to the cyber helpline for further assistance.
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