In a recent case of online fraud, a 64-year-old ex-serviceman from Pune, ended up losing all his savings, retirement benefits and borrowings, collectively amounting to Rs 1 crore to cyber scammers in an ‘earn on online task’ fraud. Reportedly the victim is a resident of Hadapsar town in eastern Pune City, Maharashtra and fell for an online work opportunity to earn some extra money.
According to a report by The Times of India, the fraud occurred between February 13 and 26, but the victim only lodged a complaint with the Pune cyber police earlier this week. The complaint reveals that the victim downloaded a messaging application last year that allowed group chatting. After connecting with some people in the group, he received a message from a stranger offering handsome income for executing simple online tasks.
The victim agreed to the offer and was then directed to click on the ‘like button’ of a video-sharing platform to get paid. Initially, the victim received some money and a welcome bonus after completing the task. “He was asked to pay Rs 1,000 for a prepaid task, and got a large sum upon completion of the task. The fraudsters promised him higher returns on more prepaid tasks. He went on depositing money and exhausted all his savings,” says Meenal Patil, senior inspector of the cyber police.
Trusting the scammer and intending to gain more profit, the victim then deposited more money during the task and almost exhausted all his savings. However, soon he was unable to access his deposits and lost all his money. “The victim lost Rs 60 lakh worth of savings and retirement benefits. He also lost the Rs 40 lakh that he had borrowed from his son,” said the police.
According to the investigation, the money deposited by the victim went to 12 accounts in five banks. Notably, this is not just the one case, which recently got highlighted. According to police, “Between the last week of February and March, we have received 10 complaints about similar frauds.”
Earlier, a similar case part-time online job scam was reported from Delhi where the victim lost Rs 9 lakh after falling for a social media advertisement. The victim applied for the job through social media and was later tricked into depositing money on the pretext of commission.
In cases of online task fraud, scammers lure victims into participating in simple online tasks with the promise of earning money. The fraudster initially pays the victim a small amount of money to gain their trust. Then, the victim is asked to pay for prepaid tasks with the promise of higher returns. Following the instructions in the hope of earning more money, the victim continues to deposit money until they exhaust all their savings, only to realize that they have been scammed.
How to prevent online task fraud
— Do not fall for any unsolicited SMS messages or advertisements that offer opportunities to earn money by performing simple online tasks.
— Do your research before participating in any online task or money-making scheme. Look for reviews and feedback from other users to determine if the offer is legitimate.
— Never share your personal or financial information with strangers online.
— Be wary of requests to pay for prepaid tasks or to make upfront payments. Legitimate companies will not ask you to pay to participate in their programs.
— If you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud, report it to the authorities immediately.
