Cyber Fraud Alert: Hyderabad Residents Duped Lakhs via WhatsApp and Telegram
These incidents underline a growing cybercrime pattern where the fraudsters exploit fake job offers and prepaid online tasks to defraud unsuspecting victims of substantial sums.
Hyderabad: Two city residents recently fell victim to job-related investment frauds propagated through WhatsApp and Telegram. These incidents underline a growing cybercrime pattern where the fraudsters exploit fake job offers and prepaid online tasks to defraud unsuspecting victims of substantial sums.
In the first case, a 35-year-old woman from Abids was approached on September 1 by a fraudster posing as “Chandrika” from Qube Research & Technologies Ltd. She was initially assigned simple online tasks like posting Google reviews, with small payments credited to her.
Also Read: Hyderabad Battles Influenza Surge: 80% of Viral Fever Cases Linked to H3N2
Later, she was lured into “prepaid jobs” requiring repeated deposits. Between September 1 and 5, she transferred a total of Rs 10,25,550. A fake online balance of Rs 15,57,900 was displayed, but withdrawals were blocked, and further deposits were demanded. Realizing she had been cheated, she reported the fraud to the police.
In the second case, a 44-year-old man from Asifnagar was contacted on August 28 by a woman identifying herself as “Veena Khatri” from Michael Page IT. He was initially given tasks like branded keyword searches and rewarded with small amounts. Later, he was directed to a fraudulent portal, where he invested repeatedly. A false frozen balance of Rs 3,49,200 was shown, with an additional Rs 3,50,000 demanded for release. Before discovering the fraud, he had already lost Rs 1,61,720.
