Man runs fake govt website, dupes 9,000 job-seekers

A 22-year-old man from Kengeri is suspected to have cheated more than 9,000 government job-seekers by pocketing millions of rupees as application fees from them. A Arjun, the suspect, reportedly ran a fake government website and posted fictitio­us recruitment notifications.

Here’s how the racket worked. Arjun, who was studying BCom by distance education, learnt that several people were running websites in the name of various organisations and pocketing huge amounts of money from their members on different pretexts. Aspiring to make a quick buck, he decided to launch a website under the government’s name.

He registered an organisation called Karnataka State Educational, Cultural and Sports Organization (KSECS), Bangalore district, and opened an account with a bank in Visweshwaraiah Layout near Kengeri. He approached a web design firm, showed it the organisation’s registration documents and got a website (ksecsorg.in) designed. He also learnt how to upload content on the website.

A month ago, he posted a notification on the website, stating that there are 728 vacancies in various government organisations for the posts of first division assistants (FDAs), second division assistants (SDAs), typists and drivers. He also advertised in a few employment newspapers and mentioned the website (www.ksecsorg.in).

As many as 9,029 candidates applied for various posts by paying the fee of Rs 500 (general category) and Rs 250 (SC/ST and OBC candidates) by postal orders. Arjun obtained a Biller Identity Number from the Department of Posts to transfer the fees into his bank account.

Two journalists working for Kannada newspapers learnt about the website and found it suspicious. They approached the cyber crime wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The sleuths got cracking and crosschecked with government departments where the said recruitment notification was issued.

After ascertaining that it was a fraud, the sleuths started tracking Arjun and the IP address used to run the website. It was just a matter of time before they caught Arjun. He gave the sleuths details of his bank account and the Biller Identity Number. They contacted the Department of Posts and recovered a total of Rs 32.45 lakh in cash. Bhushan G Borase, Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime, CID, asked people to be cautious in dealing with suspicious websites. He said web designers must check the antecedents of people and organisations who seek to have their own websites.