We are all aware of the allure of looking for quick ways to make some extra money. However, taking the easy route can be a costly error. People across the nation who fall for part-time job opportunity scams experience this. Social media sites are being used by cybercriminals to trick unwary individuals into paying money to carry out uncomplicated but fraudulent jobs. A man in Pune recently lost Rs 8.56 lakh to four con artists who promised him a chance to make more money but defrauded him instead.
According to a report by The Free Press Journal, a man from Wagholi, Pune, was scammed out of Rs 8.56 lakh by four individuals who offered him part-time online work on Telegram, a messaging app. The victim, Nilesh Mohanlal Bangrecha (45), filed a complaint with Lonikand Police Station on Monday. He said that the accused, identified as- Riya Shukla, Pranjal Singhal, Manvi Goyal, and Avantika Guleria- all from Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, contacted him on Telegram and asked him to pay a registration fee and complete simple tasks such as clicking on links, filling forms, and downloading apps.
They promised to pay him for each task and a bonus after completion. They also assured him that they would refund his registration fee. However, when the victim tried to withdraw his money, he was denied access and the accused kept demanding more money for different tasks. The victim transferred a total of Rs 8.56 lakh to multiple accounts before he realised he had been scammed.
In a similar online task scam, another person from Pune was cheated out of Rs 7.5 lakh. Both the cases are under investigation and police are warning citizens to beware of such scams.