Man joins Telegram group to start part time job, but ends up losing Rs 31 lakh from bank account

India is witnessing a surge in online scam cases. Hundreds of people across the country have lost lakhs after falling prey to these online scammers. One of the most common scams these criminals are using is luring people into earning money by liking YouTube videos and completing small tasks. In a recent case, a 58-year-old retired insurance company employee lost Rs 31 lakh in a part-time job scam.

According to TOI, in the scam, the victim had invested his pension and gratuity, ultimately losing all his hard-earned money. This online scam was similar to other incidents that have claimed several citizens across the country. It involved multiple tasks ranging from liking YouTube videos to even opening a crypto wallet.

Here is what happened:

Victim received message on Telegram

It all started when the victim received a Telegram message about a part-time job. The sender shared the opportunity and asked him if he was interested in earning some extra money. After chatting with the sender for a while, the victim agreed to the work and was later sent YouTube video links to like and earn a commission accordingly.

Similar to what has been reported in other online scams, the victim started liking YouTube videos and even received commissions in return. He did so by opening the link, liking the video, and then sharing the screenshot of his task with the same unknown Telegram number.

After a few days, the scammers offered the victim an opportunity to earn more money and added him to a 'Value Added Task' group. In this group, the victim was introduced to a group admin who would guide him for the next tasks. He was assured that if he found the group genuine and was ready for the tasks, he could ask the admin for value-added tasks to complete.

The task involved liking, sharing, and sending screenshots of different videos in the group. Thinking it to be a genuine opportunity and seeing other group members earning, the victim agreed to participate. Following that, a new digital wallet was created for him to facilitate financial transactions.

Scammers asked to invest in crypto

According to the police complaint, the victim was asked to open a crypto wallet on an exchange, buy USDT (also known as Tether), and send it to another wallet provided by the accused.

For the unfamiliar, USDT, also known as Tether, is a popular cryptocurrency coin that has a value equivalent to that of a single US dollar and is backed by dollar deposits.

Following the instructions, the victim was given several tasks to complete, and the payments for these tasks, as well as his investments and profits, showed up in the wallet he had created. However, when he attempted to transfer this money to his bank account, he was unable to do so. Upon inquiring about the issue, the accused asked him to invest more money. However, a few days later, to his shock, the link to his online wallet suddenly disappeared, and he was also unable to contact the number on Telegram.

Realizing that he had been scammed, the victim filed a First Information Report (FIR), following which the police took action and froze nine bank accounts suspected to have been operated by the accused. These frozen accounts hold a total of Rs 20 lakh.

It is mentioned that the crime occurred over a period of 10 to 15 days in February. However, the complainant approached the police much later to report the incident. Notably, it is crucial to report such scams promptly to the authorities to increase the chances of apprehending the culprits and recovering the funds.

How to stay safe from online scam

Staying safe from such online scams requires vigilance, awareness, and adopting safe online practices. Here are some tips to protect yourself from falling victim to online scams:

• Always be cautious and skeptical of unsolicited messages, emails, or social media offers promising easy money or lucrative opportunities. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is scam and do not reply to such messages or calls.
• Before engaging in any online transaction or investment, thoroughly research the company, website, or individual involved. Verify their authenticity, check reviews, and look for any red flags or complaints.
• Never share sensitive personal or financial information, such as bank account details, Social Security numbers, or passwords, with unknown or untrusted sources.
• Update software and antivirus: Keep your computer and mobile devices updated with the latest security patches and antivirus software to protect against malware and phishing attempts.
• Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading files from unknown sources. These could lead to malware infections or phishing attempts.