<p>Bengaluru: A software engineer lost Rs 43.48 lakh after falling for an elaborate cryptocurrency scam through a part-time job offer.</p>.<p>Sathwik R (name changed), 36, from Thanisandra, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number offering a part-time earning opportunity. All he had to do was rate products on Amazon.</p>.<p>Since the task required little time, Sathwik began rating products shared by the scammers.</p>.<p>"Initially, he got paid a few thousand rupees a few times for completing the product-reviewing tasks," a police investigator said.</p>.<p>A few days later, the scammers added him to a Telegram group, where they posed as affiliates of Coinbase, a legitimate American cryptocurrency exchange.</p>.<p>To convince him, they shared an invalid Corporate Identification Number (CIN), PAN details and a fake email address.</p>.<p>Thinking he could diversify his investments, Sathwik transferred Rs 43,48,248 between February 17 and April 26 to over 10 bank accounts shared by the scammers, a good chunk of his savings, a police official said.</p>.<p>When he tried to withdraw the money, the scammers told him the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) required certain documents, then cut off all contact.</p>.<p>Sathwik approached the police, and the Northeast Cybercrime Police registered a case.</p>.<p>"This trend has been observed for the past several months, where victims, especially those with a tech background, are falling prey to cryptocurrency-related scams. It is important for people to check the authenticity of the exchanges before investing in them. Also, no reputable exchanges will offer tips or trades on Telegram or any other social media platform," a senior police officer said.</p>.Udupi man loses Rs 26.55 lakh in online investment fraud.<p><strong>395 task fraud cases this year</strong></p>.<p>Police data reviewed by DH shows 395 task fraud cases were registered this year in Karnataka, including 26 involving solely cryptocurrency scams.</p>.<p>As many as 74 task fraud and cryptocurrency scam cases were registered in April alone.</p>.<p><strong>Crypto scam trail</strong></p>.<p>February 2026: Private firm employee, 50, loses Rs 70 lakh in Telegram crypto scam.</p>.<p>November 2025: Man, 45, loses Rs 42.62 lakh in crypto scam on Telegram.</p>.<p><span class="bold">August 2025:</span> Techie, 32, loses Rs 55 lakh in matrimony-crypto scam.</p>.<p><span class="bold">November 2023:</span> Two techies, 33 and 40, lose Rs 94 lakh in Telegram crypto scam.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: A software engineer lost Rs 43.48 lakh after falling for an elaborate cryptocurrency scam through a part-time job offer.</p>.<p>Sathwik R (name changed), 36, from Thanisandra, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number offering a part-time earning opportunity. All he had to do was rate products on Amazon.</p>.<p>Since the task required little time, Sathwik began rating products shared by the scammers.</p>.<p>"Initially, he got paid a few thousand rupees a few times for completing the product-reviewing tasks," a police investigator said.</p>.<p>A few days later, the scammers added him to a Telegram group, where they posed as affiliates of Coinbase, a legitimate American cryptocurrency exchange.</p>.<p>To convince him, they shared an invalid Corporate Identification Number (CIN), PAN details and a fake email address.</p>.<p>Thinking he could diversify his investments, Sathwik transferred Rs 43,48,248 between February 17 and April 26 to over 10 bank accounts shared by the scammers, a good chunk of his savings, a police official said.</p>.<p>When he tried to withdraw the money, the scammers told him the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) required certain documents, then cut off all contact.</p>.<p>Sathwik approached the police, and the Northeast Cybercrime Police registered a case.</p>.<p>"This trend has been observed for the past several months, where victims, especially those with a tech background, are falling prey to cryptocurrency-related scams. It is important for people to check the authenticity of the exchanges before investing in them. Also, no reputable exchanges will offer tips or trades on Telegram or any other social media platform," a senior police officer said.</p>.Udupi man loses Rs 26.55 lakh in online investment fraud.<p><strong>395 task fraud cases this year</strong></p>.<p>Police data reviewed by DH shows 395 task fraud cases were registered this year in Karnataka, including 26 involving solely cryptocurrency scams.</p>.<p>As many as 74 task fraud and cryptocurrency scam cases were registered in April alone.</p>.<p><strong>Crypto scam trail</strong></p>.<p>February 2026: Private firm employee, 50, loses Rs 70 lakh in Telegram crypto scam.</p>.<p>November 2025: Man, 45, loses Rs 42.62 lakh in crypto scam on Telegram.</p>.<p><span class="bold">August 2025:</span> Techie, 32, loses Rs 55 lakh in matrimony-crypto scam.</p>.<p><span class="bold">November 2023:</span> Two techies, 33 and 40, lose Rs 94 lakh in Telegram crypto scam.</p>