Pune based Financial advisor falls victim to online task fraud, loses Rs 20 lakh 

A 32-year-old financial advisor was duped of Rs 19.78 lakh in the lure of earning handsome returns on investment between Jan 24 and Feb 2 this year.

The woman filed a complaint with the cybercrime cell. After preliminary investigation, a case has been registered with the Ravet police recently. According to the police, the investigation revealed that the woman exhausted her savings, took out a personal loan, and transferred the money to the cybercrooks in the hope of making quick money.

A police officer said that she received a message from an unknown number about earning money while sitting at home. When she responded, a crook called her and posed as the human resource manager of a company that works for the promotion of different merchants. The woman told us that she was given the task of rating merchants online and earning Rs 50 per rating. She received Rs 150 after completing three tasks.

The officer further said that the victim was told to invest in prepaid tasks. Initially, the victim told police, she transferred Rs 2,000 and could see Rs 2,800 on her profile.

The officer continued that the victim kept transferring more amounts. She transferred Rs 14 lakh and could see that she earned Rs 28.94 lakh. She, however, was unable to withdraw it. When she contacted the concerned person, she was told to pay an extra Rs 5.5 lakh as tax on her profits. In total, she transferred Rs 19.78 lakh and realised that she was cheated only after the demands for more money did not stop.