Remote job scam: Fraudsters target Chandimandir-based army officer

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the victim, Rohitash Misra, 42, has been posted at the Chandimandir Cantonment since 2021

Cyber criminals tried to dupe an army officer by offering quick money through a remote job of subscribing to YouTube channels.

The victim alleged that he was made to complete some tasks for which he earned ₹14 lakh, but was never paid. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the victim, Rohitash Misra, 42, has been posted at the Chandimandir Cantonment since 2021.

Misra told police that on September 15, he received a WhatsApp message stating that he can earn money while working from home. When he responded to the message, the sender identified herself as Namrata Panchal, working with Brandconn Digital Pvt Ltd.

As part of the remote job, he was asked to subscribe to four YouTube channels for which he was paid ₹200 through bank transfer. He was then added to a Telegram group, where the administrator, Mohd Asad Irshad, asked him to subscribe to two more YouTube channels in exchange for ₹50 per subscription.

He was then invited to set up an ID on an online trading app, which also offered money for completing some tasks. He earned ₹14.15 lakh through the tasks and he thought his money was secure.

On September 20, he was informed that he had won a total of ₹27.77 lakh and to get the money, he will have to deposit ₹4.83 lakh in the company’s account. As he refused to pay the amount, he did not even get the ₹14.15 lakh he had earned.

He approached the police about the fraud, following which a case was registered under Section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code at the cyber police station in Sector 12.