Maha: Nagpur man loses Rs 35 lakh in online task fraud case

PTI, Jul 20, 2023, 7:46 PM IST

A57-year-old man residing in Maharashtra’s Nagpur city lost more than Rs 35 lakh in an online task fraud case, police said on Thursday. The scamster allegedly lured the victim into taking up the task of liking YouTube videos to earn money before persuading him into investing in a company on the promise of lucrative returns, they said. The victim is a resident of Wathoda area of the city. ”As per his complaint, the offence took place between July 11 and 16. An unidentified person contacted him using a social messaging app. Posing as a company manager, he offered the victim a job of liking some YouTube videos, for which he promised to pay money,” an official said. The victim initially received money for the task of liking the YouTube videos. Through this, the fraudster earned his trust, he said. The accused then lured the victim into investing his money into a company for lucrative returns. Believing his promises, the unsuspecting man transferred Rs 35.60 lakh into the bank accounts as instructed by the fraudster, the official added. A few days later, the victim realised that he had been deceived as he stopped receiving returns on his investments and failed to contact the accused. After that, he approached the police and lodged a complaint.

The Cyber police have registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) and the Information Technology Act.