Hyderabad: Officials from Hyderabad Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Rs 32.34 crore that was lying unused in around 580 bank accounts, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in a case pertaining to a part-time job scam in the name of review and ratings of websites, hotels and resorts.
They found that this was not an isolated case as more than 50 FIRs against such ‘part-time jobs’ have already been registered at various police stations across the country.
Investigations showed that the scam operatives collected more than Rs 524 crore from around 175 bank accounts that were used for a maximum of 15 days. Money would be diverted to other accounts almost immediately after there were deposits. The money-trail revealed that the Rs 524 crore scam money was used for purchasing crypto currencies, making hawala payments in India and remitting abroad under the guise of import payments.
The cyber criminals would approach gullible persons on WhatsApp and Telegram Apps and lure them by offering part-time jobs to perform simple tasks of giving 5-star ratings to tourist websites, hotels, resorts, tourist destinations, with daily income ranging between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500. The scamsters collect basic details and ask the victims to join certain WhatsApp and Telegram groups using links provided by them, where their associates would speak highly of the jobs and post thanks messages from existing members.
Meanwhile, the masterminds, who run the show from UAE, have collected many bank account kits containing internet banking credentials, debit cards and cheque books with related SIM cards sourced from several middlemen, who open accounts in the names of shell entities using fake/forged documents.
The victims would then be asked to register on bogus websites/android apps using their basic details, including bank account numbers. To lure them further, the potential victims would be offered e-money/tokens worth Rs 10,000 on e-wallets in the bogus websites and apps. The victims were asked to deposit money in different accounts to top-up their online wallet and start working. After showing a rosy picture in the initial stages, the agents on WhatsaApp/Telegram coerced the victims to deposit additional money to earn more.
During the tasks of providing ratings, random pop-ups would appear with premium tasks carrying higher commission/ rewards but requiring more deposits leading to the wallet balances turning negative. Victims were then asked to top up their wallets to continue the ratings tasks. In case of non-payment, the wallet balances were frozen and the entire wallet balance forfeited.
When the victims tried to withdraw money reflected in their online wallets, the transactions would be declined citing various random reasons and asking for more deposits. Gradually, the WhatsApp agents stop communicating.
