Beware of work from home scams! Delhi man loses ₹9 lakh in online job fraud

Harin Bansal from Delhi’s Pitampura came across a social media post advertising a work from home opportunity promising huge daily earnings, reports ANI. Out of curiosity, he clicked on the post and was directed to a WhatsApp number of an unknown person who asked him to register on the website through the link provided to proceed with the registration process.

According to the police, after registering on the website for work from home job, Harin Bansal was instructed to complete some work. The website then instructed him to deposit and withdraw a certain amount, promising a commission commensurate with the principal amount for doing so. According to the website’s instructions, this was all part of the job he signed up for.

According to the report, the fraudsters Quickly gained the trust of Harin Bansal by paying the promised commission along with the withdrawn amount. However, after the victim submitted approx. 9,32,000, he was unable to withdraw his money, indicating that he had fallen victim to a scam.

Harin Bansal lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police on realizing that he had been cheated. Police started investigation and later arrested two persons Ankit (30) and Sudhir Kumar (45) in connection with the case. The matter is still under investigation.

This is not the first incident where scammers have tricked people into parting with their money under the guise of a job or part-time opportunity. In the past, there have been many cases where people have lost money after responding to job advertisements on social media. This trend was especially prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, as people were looking for more ways to earn money. Unfortunately, this has resulted in many people falling prey to online fraudsters.

The methods employed by these scammers are quite common. They usually contact people through social media before going to messaging apps like WhatsApp or messaging apps Wire, Once they’ve established a level of trust, they convince their targets to sign up for a commission-based job. After the victim deposits a substantial amount, the fraudsters take the money and disappear by blocking the victim.

To avoid falling prey to such scams it is important to be wary of messages or advertisements promising significant financial gains. Always verify and cross-check any information that seems questionable or suspect. Fraudsters may try to entice you to create an account on questionable websites, and this may give them access to your personal and banking information. As a general rule, avoid accepting any job offers or investment opportunities online from strangers.