Police expose fraudsters' conning via online job offers

Vijayawada: Bapatla district superintendent of police Vakul Jindal has cautioned people, particularly women, about scams offering part-time online jobs.

He pointed out that unemployed, students, housewives with spare time and those with insufficient pay keep looking for online part-time jobs. For the purpose, they publish their information on several websites, including that of their smartphones using which they perform digital transactions. Cybercriminals steal this information and commit frauds.

Giving an example, the SP said within the limits of Vetapalem police station limits, a software employee responded to a part-time job offered through a WhatsApp message. Hackers sent him a URL, asking him to click it. They then asked him to add it to his online shopping basket, make a deposit of ₹150 and send its screenshot. The victim followed their instructions.

Cybercriminals then included the software employee in a Telegram group. Tasks appeared for him when the victim clicked on the links in that group. On finishing his chores, he took a screenshot of the money earned and sent it to the group's receptionist, who then deposited the money in his bank account.

Vakul Jindal said cybercriminals continued to pay modest amounts of money into the software employee’s bank account. They thus gained the trust of the victim. One fine day, the criminals removed nearly ₹10 lakh from the victim’s account.

The SP said similarly, cybercriminals stole about ₹30 lakh from a faculty member of a college residing within the limits of Chirala Two Town police station.

Given the risk, Vakul Jindal asked those looking for jobs online to avoid sharing sensitive details like bank account numbers, Aadhaar card, phone numbers, or copies of identity documents, unless they are certain about the legitimacy of the job opportunity. He further advised people to visit only secure https platforms and websites when searching for job opportunities.