The victim was lured by a WhatsApp message and joined a Telegram group promising lucrative investments.
Scammers showed a fake profit portfolio to gain the victim's trust and encouraged larger investments.
The victim made 32 transactions in five days, losing Rs 51.63 lakh before realizing the scam.
A resident of Greater Noida lost a staggering Rs 51.63 lakh in just five days after falling for an online task scam. The 31-year-old man received a WhatsApp message from an unidentified number, which prompted him to do a few investment tasks to earn a large amount of money. Considering the swindle, the victim consented to take part.
SurveyFollowing the agreement to participate, the victim joined the Telegram group and was introduced to cryptocurrency investment opportunities. He was then given several duties to do and minor investments between Rs 2,000 and Rs 8,000 to make. Scammers then gradually lured him into making substantial sums under the guise of maximizing profits.
Also read: Bengaluru woman loses Rs 2 lakh after pressing ‘1’ on fake IVR call
Furthermore, the scammer displayed a false portfolio with a big Rs 60 lakh profit, encouraging him to invest more. The scam unfolded when the victim attempted to take out the profit. The fraudsters requested further payments, including various levies and fees. The victim became suspicious and discussed it with a friend, eventually realizing that he had been duped.
During the five days of the chores, the victim made 32 transactions, totaling Rs 51.63 lakh to the scammers. When the victim realised, he filed a complaint with the cybercrime branch. The authorities have filed a complaint under provisions 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as applicable provisions of the IT Act.
Previously, several incidents of victims falling for fake online tasks and investment proposals have been reported. In recent years, several scams, such as posting reviews on YouTube videos or writing reviews, have become public. The scammers normally send messages to entice users with little amount of money, and then they lure the victim into investing their money in cryptocurrency, after which they fly down with the entire amount.
Tips to stay safe
To be safe, all individuals are recommended to be stay alert and verify the information before transferring money. Furthermore, users are recommended to block them and report them immediately.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
