India IT expert loses over Rs9.5m as cyber fraudsters trick him

A 40-year-old man in India, an IT professional himself, was reportedly tricked into losing INR3.7 million (over PKR9.5 million) under the guise of receiving a lucrative commission, reported India Today.

There doesn't seem to be a single internet platform where users are safe from online fraud and scams. Despite all the warnings, consumers frequently disregard safety precautions or inadvertently fall victim to online fraud.

On November 22, the victim — a Mira Road resident — received a Telegram message from an unidentified woman. The woman contacted the victim, offering the chance to make money online, according to a report by The Free Press Journal. The woman informed the victim that by rating some of her company's products online, he could earn a respectable commission.

Later, after getting the victim's attention, another woman contacted him and instructed him to carry out specific duties on the platform. He was prompted to log in after she shared a website URL with him. The woman assured the victim that after finishing the work, he would make good money and that it would be sent right to his online e-wallet.

On November 28, the IT expert followed all the guidelines and began completing the activities listed on the website. Giving various travel properties five stars was one of the objectives, according to his police complaint. He was also informed that each time he completed a task, he would be required to pay premium fees; these fees would then be reimbursed to him with his earnings.

The victim started working on the assignments after getting all the instructions, with his earnings displayed in his online e-wallet. By December 3, the victim allegedly had spent a total of INR3.78 million on the assignments, with his earnings showing as INR4.15 million on the website.

The victim afterwards requested a withdrawal from his e-wallet after completing the tasks and depositing a sizeable sum there. However, the request was still listed as pending. To his dismay, he discovered that the website and the Telegram group had been erased when he checked the website again.

After the victim complained, a case was opened under sections 420 of the IPC (cheating and dishonestly inducing the handover of property) and 66D of the Information Technology Act (personation fraud utilising computer resources).

Significantly more cyber fraud incidents have been reported in recent years all over the world. Even while the police and cyber security units constantly work to warn people about potential frauds and scams and urge them to take precautions, people still fall for them.