A homemaker from Saroornagar was cheated of Rs 10.4 lakh in an elaborate online part-time job scam that began with an online advertisement promising high daily earnings.
Hyderabad:A homemaker from Saroornagar was cheated of Rs 10.4 lakh in an elaborate online part-time job scam that began with an online advertisement promising high daily earnings.
Officials said the woman came across a Facebook post offering remote work, claiming she could earn between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,500 per day using her phone. On responding, she was redirected to a Telegram chat where she was asked to perform so-called “rating tasks” such as giving five-star reviews to businesses listed on Google Maps. She was promised `800 per task and later added to another Telegram group offering higher commissions for daily assignments.
The victim was told she could be promoted to a VIP group with larger payouts if she invested more. Convinced it was genuine, she transferred several money in several instalments totalling `10.41 lakh. The scammers continued to demand payments for “credit score upgrades” and “withdrawal processing charges.”
When she tried to withdraw her earnings, the fraudsters stopped responding. She lodged a complaint with the Rachakonda cybercrime police.
Job fraud costs techie Rs 51 L
Hyderabad:A software engineer from Madinaguda lost over `51 lakh after being duped by fraudsters operating through Telegram and fake e-commerce websites under the guise of offering part-time jobs.
According to police, the 43-year-old victim was first contacted on October 1 by a Telegram user with the ID @RiyaLall, posing as an HR representative. He was later connected to another user, @MeeraSuri, who directed him to register on a website.
After registration, Rs 10,000 was credited to his wallet, and he was asked to complete 28 product reviews. After two successful rounds, he was instructed to deposit `10,000. During the third round, his wallet showed negative balances of Rs 7,499 and Rs 17,343, both of which he cleared.
He then received Rs 34,842 in his bank account, which encouraged him to invest Rs 10 lakh under an ‘annual day offer’ promising a Rs 7 lakh commission. During subsequent review cycles, the wallet showed further deficits — Rs 13,63,864 and Rs 16,85,949 — which he covered by depositing large sums.
Later, an admin named @Ashoka gave him a “provision code” after he deposited `8 lakh and `4.98 lakh in two tranches. His wallet then displayed a balance of `78,97,136. But when he tried to withdraw the money, he was told to deposit a further `19,74,477 for an ‘agent security code’. He managed only a partial payment. Soon after, he received an email from “PolyandBark Support” demanding `12 lakh as a “restoration deposit.”
Realising he had been cheated, the victim approached the Cyberabad cyber crime police on October 28. He had transferred Rs 51,82,657 across various accounts and UPI IDs, but recovered only `48,324. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway.
Techie ‘phished’ for Rs 1.6 L
Hyderabad:A 27-year-old private employee from Nizampet lost over `1.6 lakh after being duped through a fake website of a prominent private sector bank and mobile app. Police said the victim, a techie, held a salary account with the bank and was frequently contacted by callers offering credit cards.
On October 25, he received a call claiming that an accidental insurance policy had been activated on his card with a monthly auto-debit of `4,999. The caller offered to help cancel it and directed him to a website — https://myaxisinsurance.online — that appeared identical to the bank’s official site.
The victim was also told to download an app resembling the bank’s mobile application. While entering his card details, he grew suspicious when asked to share his PIN and disconnected the call. Soon after, fraudulent transactions were initiated — `79,882 each from two credit cards ending and `3,500 from a debit card.
By the time he blocked the cards, the fraudsters had attempted more withdrawals. Police said he contacted the bank to suspend services and lodged a complaint through the national cybercrime helpline 1930. “The fraudsters exploited the victim’s fear of recurring deductions to obtain sensitive banking data,” Cyberabad police said. A case has been registered, and efforts are being made to trace the accused and recover the amount.
Techie invests Rs 63 L, gets Rs 20K
Hyderabad:A 34-year-old software engineer from Kondapur lost nearly Rs 63 lakh in an online investment scam run through a fake trading app. Police said the victim was added to a WhatsApp group named “L18 AXIS Macroeconomics,” which claimed to be operated by a subsidiary of a prominent private bank. The group was managed by a person identified as “Prof. Gill Osuna,” while a woman named “Pragati Bagadiya” acted as “group adviser.”
He was instructed to download a mobile application called Axiself, open a trading account and invest in ‘QIP Trading’ and ‘IPO Allotments’. To gain his trust, the fraudsters allowed him to withdraw `2,000 and shared screenshots of profits and withdrawals in the group.
Later, he was asked to invest Rs 46 lakh for an IPO in the name of a MNC conglomerate. and was told that part of the amount was financed as a “loan” by the company. When he tried to withdraw, the accused demanded that the “loan” be repaid first. The victim borrowed Rs 12 lakh personally and transferred it.
Over the next few weeks, he transferred Rs 62,99,999 from his bank account to multiple beneficiary accounts. The fraudsters then showed him fake allotments worth Rs 5 crore in another IPO, displaying a virtual profit of `3.49 crore. They demanded another Rs 70 lakh to “unlock” the profits and later threatened to freeze his account or donate the funds to charity. They also imposed fake penalties of up to 20 per cent on incomplete subscriptions.
Of the total amount invested, only Rs 2,000 was ever returned. Realising he had been cheated, the victim lodged an online complaint.
