'This is a task for you': Pune techie makes 67 transactions, loses Rs 66 lakh in investment scam

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Fraud Tactics Used by Scammers":"The fraudsters used a combination of task-based activities, small initial returns, and the promise of high profits to gain the victim’s confidence before persuading him to make increasingly large investments. The victim was initially added to a WhatsApp group with over 700 members, where he was introduced to share trading. He was then directed to a Telegram group with over 4,000 members, where he was assigned tasks such as opening links and taking screenshots. The scammers promised high returns on small investments, which led the victim to make 67 transactions totaling over Rs 66 lakh.","

Impact on Victim":"The victim, a 37-year-old IT firm employee from Hadapsar, was duped into the scam and made 67 transactions. He was initially promised returns of 40 per cent on his first investment of Rs 1,000. After completing the transaction, he received Rs 1,403 in his bank account. Subsequent withdrawals of small amounts further reinforced his belief that the platform was genuine. The fraudsters demanded an additional Rs 9 lakh as an exchange fee before releasing the funds, which led the victim to realize he had been cheated.","

Investigation and Legal Action":"The fraud came to light when the victim attempted to withdraw his accumulated profits and was asked to pay an additional Rs 9 lakh as an exchange fee. He approached the cybercrime authorities and registered complaints through the national cybercrime reporting portal. The Pune City Cyber Police registered an FIR. The victim’s wife’s bank account was also used in the scam, with transfers made from both their accounts to as many as 38 mule accounts over a few weeks in August and September."}