Woman Loses Rs 32.8 Lakh In Part-Time Work Scam

The complainant, narrating her ordeal, stated that it began with a WhatsApp message that she received in August 2024 from a woman identifying herself as Amrutha.

The victim said, “Amrutha claimed I could earn Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 per day by posting ratings and reviews of restaurants on a website. The tasks were small, and after completing them, I was added to a Telegram group called ‘VIP Task Group 109 Senior Channel,’ where I was encouraged to join a VIP commission channel for higher returns.”

The scheme quickly escalated as she was assigned “welfare tasks” related to bitcoin trading. She was guided by anonymous Telegram users, referred to as “teachers,” who instructed her to buy and sell bitcoin using a fake app. The woman initially received a few payments, but soon began transferring large sums — first as part of her investment, and later under the pretext of fixing task errors and unlocking withdrawals.

The complainant further stated, “Over the next several weeks, I made a series of payments, including Rs 1.82 lakh and Rs 5.73 lakh for task repairs, followed by an additional payment of Rs 9.18 lakh when my withdrawal was blocked. I was later told my credit score was too low to process any withdrawal and was again manipulated into paying Rs 7 lakh. The final demand was Rs 11.32 lakh to open a larger withdrawal account.”

In total, she transferred Rs 32,82,573 in 47 transactions to four bank accounts and UPI IDs provided by the scammers. While all the transactions were taking place, the scammers, to keep her engaged, also made small payments, but she received only Rs 53,139 in return. A case has been filed with the Cyberabad Cyber Crime Police, and an investigation has been launched.