Two senior executives, one from a mobile company and another from a banking institution, have been ensnared in an online task fraud, losing Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. The incidents occurred in the Matunga and Dadar areas on Monday.
In the first case, a senior executive of a mobile company received a tempting WhatsApp message offering an online part-time job. Upon responding, he received a call from a woman identifying herself as Ritu Bouruah from ScoopWhoop online media.
Claiming to represent Google Maps, the fraudster informed the victim that he could earn between Rs 500 and Rs 6,350 per day for writing reviews. Expanding the offer, she presented opportunities to review hotels, promising earnings of Rs 3,000 to 5,000 in a single day. The victim agreed and paid registration fees and additional charges, resulting in a loss of Rs 1.08 lakh.
In the second case, a banker at the Dadar branch received a message on his Telegram account purportedly from Priya Mehra HR at Coinswitch company. The sender lured the banker with a part-time job, offering payment for writing reviews on Google Maps with potential earnings of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. After a few reviews, messages indicated that he had earned Rs 1,000. Subsequently, the fraudster persuaded him to double his investment through registration and investment, leading to a loss of Rs 3.60 lakhs.
Both cases of fraud have been reported to the Matunga police, who are currently investigating the matter.
