Mangaluru woman duped of Rs 28.18 lakh in part-time job scam

The victim was asked to download the Telegram app, where she received a link from the fraudsters.

Mangaluru: A woman was allegedly duped of Rs 28.18 lakh in a part-time job scam here, said the police on Sunday.

In a complaint to Konaje police, the victim of the job fraud scam said that she received a WhatsApp message offering her a part-time job on July 21. She was asked to download the Telegram app, where she received a link from the fraudsters.

Following the directions of the accused, the victim transferred Rs 123 to a bank account. When she sought details on the part time job, the accused reportedly sent a video and asked her to take a screenshot after watching it.

After she completed the task, they asked her to transfer Rs 130 again, claiming that the first video was incorrect. They later sent her another link on July 23 and gave her similar instructions to transfer Rs 1,000 into a different account.

Following their instructions, she transferred Rs 1,000 and received a link that showed an increased amount of Rs 1,300 after a purchase. The accused even transferred Rs 1,300 back to her account to win her trust. They sent a few more links in the next couple of days.

Trusting them, the complainant transferred Rs 2.85 lakh and Rs 25.32 lakh from two separate bank accounts.

The fraudsters promised high returns and obtained Rs 28.18 lakh from the complainant. Scared to disclose the issue of having lost money, she initially stayed silent. Later, she informed her family members, following which a complaint has been registered at the Konaje Police Station.