Man loses over Rs 17 lakh in a ‘Like to Earn’ job scam

All kinds of scams are rampant all over India, but the most worrying thing is that scammers are devising new and sophisticated techniques to dupe unsuspecting victims. In fact, even young people who are well versed in technology will not be fooled.

And this is exactly what happened to a 34-year-old techie from Pune who lost a whopping Rs 17.6 lakh in an alleged ‘want to earn’ job scam, as per a report in The Times of India.

The victim was said to have come across a part-time job ad on social media and later decided to contact the employers (scammers).

He was given simple tasks like liking videos online. This scam started when she contacted the scammers on December 1st and continued until December 6th when she realized she had been scammed. The cyber crime cell was reported on December 7 and the case was registered at the Wakad police station on Saturday.

The police officer present said that the money in the victim’s account was transferred to several accounts in different places including Kochi, Jaipur, Malda and Itarasi.

While it’s not entirely clear how this victim lost his money, in most such cases, especially job scams, the scammers work by earning the victims’ trust by initially offering them small rewards for the “work” they do. Later, victims are told that they could earn more if they invest. Many people invest in these schemes without thinking, and when they ask for a return on their investment, they are told that they have to invest more to get the money. This becomes an endless process until the victim finally realizes what has happened.

To protect yourself from these scams, remember that nobody pays you for simple tasks like liking YouTube videos, as they can be automated with the click of a button. Also, if someone contacts you with such an offer, never share your personal details like your Aadhaar number, PAN details and more.