Mangaluru: A 25-year-old woman from Mangaluru was allegedly cheated of Rs 9.33 lakh by unidentified persons who lured her with a work-from-home data entry job, according to a complaint filed with the CEN Crime Police Station.
According to the complaint, the woman received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number on September 11. The sender introduced himself as an HR representative of a company named Megha Company and offered her a work-from-home data entry job.
The woman was subsequently provided with a Telegram link and joined a group through the platform.
Woman initially receives Rs 200
The woman was reportedly told that she could earn Rs 200 by completing 20 tasks a day. After completing the assigned tasks on the first day, she received Rs 200, which allegedly gave her confidence in the offer.
On the following day, she was assigned 13 tasks but was unable to complete them. She was then contacted by another Telegram user who identified himself as Amarjeet Kumar.
According to the complaint, the person allegedly persuaded her to continue with the tasks and initially asked her to transfer Rs 3,000 through UPI.
Asked to transfer money to withdraw funds
When the woman was unable to complete the tasks and sought a refund, the accused allegedly told her that she needed to transfer money to different bank accounts to withdraw the amount.
Following the instructions, she allegedly made multiple transactions between September 12 and 17.
According to the complaint, the total amount transferred by the woman during this period was Rs 9,33,866.
The transactions reportedly continued as she was allegedly assured that the money could be withdrawn after completing the required process.
Woman approaches CEN police
The woman later realised that she had allegedly fallen victim to an online work-from-home job scam.
She approached the CEN Crime Police Station in Mangaluru and lodged a complaint against the unidentified persons involved in the alleged fraud.
Police have taken up the complaint and are investigating the transactions and the bank accounts to which the money was transferred. Further details regarding the identification of the accused are awaited.
The case highlights the risks associated with unsolicited online job offers that promise quick earnings and subsequently ask applicants to make payments or deposits.