Gurugram techie lured to make extra money, loses Rs 42 lakh in 'Like video and earn' fraud
WhatsApp scam: A software engineer, employed at an IT company to earn extra income, joined a 'like video and earn money' job that duped him for over Rs 42 lakh. Check all details here.
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FollowCases of people losing lakhs of rupees after trusting strangers and making payments online are on the rise. A software engineer in Gurgaon who worked for an IT business was taken advantage of and defrauded of over Rs 42 lakh. He was duped by con artists who offered him the chance to make a lot of money by merely liking particular videos. The incident unfolded when he received a message on WhatsApp on March 24. The message claimed that he could earn additional income by engaging in a part-time job involving liking videos on the popular video sharing platform, YouTube.
When the engineer was urged to invest, he was promised speedy rewards. "Divya introduced me to a group on the Telegram app after I agreed to cooperate with them. She urged me to make investments with the promise of higher profits. They urged me to invest under the guise of an assignment, and I transferred a total of Rs 42,31,600 from my bank account and my wife's account," the complainant said.
"Along with Divya, the transaction was also validated by Kamal, Ankit, Bhoomi, and Harsh, who then informed me that I had made a profit of at least Rs 69 lakh. However, they forbade me from taking the money out. They then requested that I deposit Rs. 11,000 extra, which I thought was suspicious and I reported to the police," he continued.
Later, when he tried to withdraw the money, the con artists stopped him from doing so. Following this, a FIR was filed under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified fraudsters.
For the unaware, scammers are taking advantage of joblessness, layoffs, and people's need for extra income by offering fake job opportunities, such as paying Rs. 50 for liking a YouTube video. These scammers use platforms like WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and even Facebook to lure victims with promises of easy money, like earning up to Rs. 5,000 per day for liking YouTube videos. They often ask for personal information to proceed with payment, and sometimes they will also ask for payment in exchange for access to the non-existent job.
Also Read | Receiving WhatsApp calls, texts from international numbers? Beware! It's a scam
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