Bengaluru, October 29: A 37-year-old IT professor, Amit (name changed), was recently conned out of Rs 5.22 lakh in a fraudulent work-from-home scheme. Amit received a message on WhatsApp offering him a task-based role that promised daily earnings of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 by promoting YouTube channels. The scheme involved liking and subscribing to YouTube channels, which ultimately led to Amit losing his hard-earned money.

According to a report by New Indian Express, the scheme involved a prepayment method, and Amit initially invested Rs 1,000 and earned a return of Rs 1,500. Encouraged by the returns, he invested Rs 5.22 lakh, with expectations of returns exceeding Rs 10 lakh. However, he was immediately denied access to the Telegram group after investing the money. Online Scam in Bengaluru: IT Professional Scammed for Rs 97,000 by Cybercriminals Posing as RTO and Mumbai Police Officials.

Modus Operandi of Click-to-Earn Scam

An officer attached to the case explained that the scheme involved liking, sharing, and subscribing to YouTube videos to promote the channel, with daily earnings of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 promised upon completion of tasks. The fraudsters ask the victim to invest a small amount of money only after joining the telegram channel. They then give the victim a significant return on their investment to lure them to invest more. Amit also fell prey to these tactics. Amit was removed from the WhatsApp group where the Telegram link was initially shared and lost his hard-earned money. Ponzi Scheme Scam: Bengaluru Police Bust Rs 854 Crore Cyber Investment Fraud, Arrest Six People.

In another incident, a 27-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru found herself duped out of a staggering Rs 60 lakh by scammers who lured her with a fake part-time job opportunity. The incident occurred during the week of September 11-19, and it serves as yet another cautionary tale in the ongoing battle against online fraud.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 29, 2023 04:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).