The victim, a resident of PVN Colony, said the fraud began on June 23 when he was added to a WhatsApp group.
Hyderabad: A 57-year-old retired employee from Malkajgiri was duped of Rs 28.57 lakh in an elaborate online scam involving fake YouTube tasks and a fraudulent trading platform. The Rachakonda cyber crime police have registered a case and begun an investigation.
The victim, a resident of PVN Colony, said the fraud began on June 23 when he was added to a WhatsApp group. He was then directed to a Telegram group, where a handler identified as Ritu Maheshwari instructed him to subscribe to YouTube channels and submit screenshots in return for Rs 100 per task.
After receiving a few initial payments, he was added to another Telegram group and introduced to an ‘economic task’ that required a deposit of Rs 2,000. He was then guided to a trading platform where he was asked to perform trades with the promise of high returns. To build credibility, the fraudsters credited him with Rs 3,000 after a few tasks, convincing him that the platform was genuine.
Over the next few days, the victim invested a total of Rs 28.57 lakh. However, when he tried to withdraw his earnings, he was asked to pay a 15 per cent tax. Realising it was a scam, he attempted to recover his funds but managed to get back only Rs 13,000. Based on his complaint, a case was booked under the BNS and the IT Act.
A cybercrime officer said, “We suspect the involvement of gangs from Rajasthan. We have identified seven bank accounts that received the victim’s money. Letters have been sent to the respective banks seeking account holder details. The funds were further transferred to at least 20 other accounts. One withdrawal of Rs 13 lakh was traced to a Rajasthan account, and the case is being probed further.”
