Two Panchkula residents lose ₹3.9 lakh to Telegram task frauds
In another case of cyber fraud, a resident of Sector 12-A, Panchkula, was duped of ₹2 lakh by a fraudster posing as relative
Two Panchkula residents were allegedly duped of ₹3.91 lakh collectively in two separate Telegram-based online task fraud cases registered at the cyber crime police station on Wednesday.
In the first incident, the victim, Rajat, a youth residing in Sector 19, stated in the FIR that he lost ₹2.33 lakh after being lured into a fake online task scheme via Telegram. According to Rajat, on April 14, he was added to a WhatsApp channel and then a Telegram group, and was promised income for completing online tasks.
He was subsequently contacted by individuals through different Telegram IDs, including “HR Neetu Rajput” and “Agalya Sri”, which provided him with tasks. Initially, he received small payments, which built his trust in the process. He was later added to a VIP trading group on Telegram. Following instructions from an ID bearing the username “Rajeev Randhawa”, Rajat invested a total of ₹2,33,944 through his and his mother’s bank accounts for various tasks, believing he would earn profits.
However, when he tried to withdraw his earnings, he was told that his account was frozen and he needed to deposit more money to unfreeze it. Realising the scam, Rajat reported the incident online to the police. The cybercrime police have registered an FIR under Sections 316(2), 318(4) and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation is underway.
In another incident, a Sector 27 woman working in an IT firm lost ₹1.58 lakh in a similar Telegram task scam. According to the FIR, the complainant, Sonam, was added to a Telegram group named “kids club(68)” on April 13 after being contacted on Facebook Messenger by an ID bearing the username “Dane Collin Boden” and then on Telegram by “sagar yadav”.
She was initially offered ₹50 for completing tasks. Initially, she received small amounts of ₹150 and ₹200, which helped in building her trust. She then invested ₹2,000 and ₹5,000, respectively, via UPI into different accounts, as instructed. Subsequently, she was persuaded to send larger sums amounting to ₹15,000 and ₹45,000 to different UPI users.
After making these payments, she was informed that her bank account holds ₹96,500 but was frozen. To unfreeze it and withdraw her funds, she was asked to deposit another ₹91,500 into a provided bank account via IMPS. However, despite complying with the process, she was unable to withdraw her money, leading her to realise that she had been scammed. The cybercrime police have registered a case under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the BNS. An investigation is on.
Fraudster posing as relative dupes man of ₹2L
In another case of cyber fraud, a resident of Sector 12-A was duped of ₹2 lakh on March 5, police said on Wednesday. According to the FIR registered at the cyber crime police station on Wednesday, the complainant, Arun, received a WhatsApp message and a call on March 5 from a man claiming to be his uncle, showing a picture of him.
The caller informed Arun that he urgently needed ₹5 lakh for a new project. When the victim stated that he did not have that much amount and could only provide ₹2 lakh, the fraudster requested a transfer of the available amount. Believing the caller to be his relative in distress, Arun then transferred the money via RTGS to the provided bank account.
Subsequently, Arun grew suspicious and contacted his uncle on his mobile number but was shocked to learn that he had not made the call. When Arun tried to contact the fraudulent number, his calls went unanswered. Realising he had been scammed, he filed a complaint online. The cybercrime police have registered a case under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the BNS.