A senior employee of a private company was cheated of ₹25 lakh in an online task fraud. In this regard, a case has been registered against the cyber thieves at the Vimantal police station, official informed on Wednesday.
A case has been registered against Deepa Dey and her accomplices in this matter. A senior officer in a private company lodged a complaint at the Vimantal police station. Cyber thieves sent a message to his mobile, offering an opportunity to work from home. The thieves lured him into a trap, initially assigning him work and providing returns for the completed tasks. Subsequently, they extracted ₹25,42,000 from him, claiming that he would receive substantial returns for working online. After depositing the money, the thieves blocked their mobile numbers. Upon realising the fraud, the victim reported the incident to the police. Senior Police Inspector AT Khobre is conducting the investigation.
There has been an increase in the number of frauds committed by cyber thieves using the lure of online tasks. The cyber police have consistently urged people to be cautious of fraudsters offering online tasks.
Task fraud
Recently, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, last week, claimed to have unearthed a sophisticated online task fraud racket that spanned across multiple cities like Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Indore, Bhopal, Ratlam, Patna, Vadodara, Jaipur, and Bhilwara.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Police said the racket was busted by its Crime Branch Unit - 4 and Cyber Team.
Operated by 14 cyber fraudsters through 95 mule accounts, the scheme utilised 250 mobile numbers and a three-tiered approach to deceive people.
Initially targeting financially vulnerable individuals, the fraudsters established accounts and firms in victims' names across various private banks.
Following this, they acquired associated kits, including cheque books and Internet banking details. Subsequently, victims were lured with online tasks through WhatsApp and Telegram, leading to fund transfers into the initially created accounts.
The criminals meticulously planned their activities, traversing major cities under the guise of job prospects. They employed local names, rented places, and obtained licenses and certificates online, opening multiple current accounts under firm names across private banks, adding layers of complexity to their fraudulent setup.
