A 26-year-old woman from Hyderabad lost ₹2.65 lakh in an online employment fraud. The victim, working as a private employee, received a WhatsApp message recently from an unknown number offering part-time job opportunities.
The scammer, posing as the representative of a company, claimed that individuals could earn money by completing simple tasks, including liking videos online.
Initially, the victim was added to a WhatsApp group, where daily tasks were assigned. She was instructed to share screenshots of the completed tasks, along with her bank details, with an account under the name ‘@FinanceNSEAjyo9999’. To build trust, the scammer transferred small amounts into her account after the completion of each task.
As the scheme progressed, the victim was asked to register an account on a website, http://xms.datamrkimy.top, using an invitation code. The registration process was free, and, once completed, the scammer confirmed her account with a ‘merchant’.
From that point, the victim was required to deposit a certain sum for each task. She initially transferred ₹2,000 and received ₹3,300 in return, which further solidified her trust in the scheme.
The scammer continued to provide similar ‘prepaid tasks’, promising the victim that completing them would lead to substantial profits. With each task, the investment amount increased significantly. Encouraged by the apparent returns, the victim paid larger sums, believing her earnings were growing. However, each time she attempted to withdraw her funds, the scammer claimed that additional payments were required to complete further tasks and unlock the profits.
When the victim made a number of mistakes during the process, she was asked to pay ‘correction fees’ to continue. The scam unfolded when she was asked to pay a final amount to withdraw her supposed earnings. By the time she refused to continue, she had lost ₹2.65 lakh.
Following her complaint, the Hyderabad cybercrime police registered a case and launched an investigation.
The police warned citizens to be cautious of fraudulent investment schemes circulating on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, ‘X’, Instagram and Facebook and only rely on SEBI-approved investment platforms and registered financial advisors before investing their money.
Scammers often lure victims by promising high returns with little risk, sometimes even crediting small amounts initially to gain their trust, the police said stressing that genuine investment opportunities do not require upfront payments or registration fees.
Published – January 26, 2025 07:05 pm IST
