Part-time work scam: Bengaluru man cheated of Rs 45 lakh

The victim works as the state head of collections in the two-wheelers' department of a private finance company

A private firm employee was cheated out of Rs 45 lakh in just 10 days by cyber fraudsters who had promised to provide him with part-time work.

The victim, Pradeep A T, aged 36, works as the state head of collections in the two-wheelers' department of a private finance company.

In his complaint to the police, he stated that he had received a message on WhatsApp from an unknown number on March 22, offering him part-time work. Pradeep responded to the message and was subsequently put in touch with a woman on Telegram, who introduced herself as an HR representative of a private firm. Thereafter, different people contacted him and gave him multiple tasks.

Initially, Pradeep was asked to create an account on a portal and he submitted his voter card as proof of identity. After the account was created, the fraudsters started giving him multiple tasks, including investing money in various portals, claiming that the investments were being made in cryptocurrency. They promised him 20 to 30% returns on his investments, and to convince him, they transferred small amounts from a bank account to his account.

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However, as the fraudsters continued to make Pradeep invest more money, he became suspicious and stopped making payments on March 31. By that time, Pradeep had already invested Rs 45 lakh in various accounts as instructed by the fraudsters.

Following Pradeep's complaint, the cybercrime police at the police commissioner's office have taken up a case under the Information Technology Act and for cheating, and are currently investigating the matter. The fraudsters had introduced themselves to Pradeep as Lin Bahubali, Jasmine Ahuja, Anand, Diya, and others.

A senior police officer stated that the account from which the fraudsters deposited money into Pradeep's account was opened in a bank in Magadi taluk. The fraudsters must have paid commission to the account holder to open the account and give all the necessary details to them.

Pradeep has also learned that the portal in which he was asked to create an account has been delisted from the Singapore exchange.