Hyderabad: Four arrested in data entry job fraud scam

Hyderabad: Cyberabad Crime Police apprehended four individuals hailing from Gujarat State involved in a data entry job fraud scam.

Police seized six mobile phones, one laptop, and five debit cards from their possession.

The accused, identified as Rahul Ashok Bhai Baviskar (25) of Dindoli, Surat, Gujarat; Sagar Patil (24) of Dindoli, Surat, Gujarat; Kalpesh Thorat (26) of Surat City, Gujarat; and Nilesh Patil (24) of Dindoli, Surat, Gujarat, were arrested based on a complaint received by the Cyberabad Crime Police.

The fraudsters operated under the guise of Flora Solution, presenting themselves as job providers for captcha typing work. After luring victims from 25 states and 2 Union Territories across India, including Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Maharashtra, the accused threatened victims in the name of company policy violations and extorted significant sums of money.

The complainant, seeking part-time employment, fell prey to the scam when she received a WhatsApp message about captcha typing work from Flora Solutions. The fraudsters subsequently sent fake legal notices, threatening the complainant with violations of terms and conditions and collecting Rs. 6,17,660 under duress.

The modus operandi involved Rahul Ashok, formerly employed in a fraudulent data entry job in Surat, collecting job seekers’ data from online portals. Collaborating with classmates Sagar Patil, Kalpesh Thorat, and Nilesh Patil, the group conspired to cheat job seekers.

Victims responding to Flora Solution’s messages were provided login credentials for data entry work. After submitting the work, victims were falsely accused of improper completion, leading to threats of legal action and extortion.

Following an investigation, Cyber Crime Police traced the victims to the Dandeli area of Surat, leading to the arrest of the accused in Surat City, Gujarat.The accused are implicated in 358 complaints on cybercrime.gov.in, with 28 complaints from Telangana, including 11 within the Cyberabad jurisdiction.