Mumbai: Two senior executives of a mobile company and a banker were duped in an online task fraud, losing Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively. The incidents occurred in the vicinity of Matunga and Dadar area on Monday.
In the first case, a senior executive of a mobile company received a WhatsApp message offering an online part-time job. Upon replying to the message, he received a call from a woman who identified herself as Ritu Bouruah from ScoopWhoop online media.She informed the victim that he would have to write a review of Google Maps, for which he would be paid between Rs 500 and Rs 6,350 per day, depending on the review.
Additionally, she offered him the opportunity to write reviews for various hotels, earning Rs 3,000 to 5,000 in a single day. The victim agreed, and the fraudster asked him to pay registration fees and other charges, causing him to lose Rs 1.08 lakh.
In the second case, a banker attached to the Dadar branch received a message on his Telegram account. The sender identified herself as Priya Mehra HR from Coinswitch company. She also enticed the banker with a part-time job, offering to pay him for writing reviews on Google Maps, with earnings ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. After writing a few reviews, he received messages stating that he had earned Rs 1,000. Subsequently, the fraudster convinced him to double his investment through registration and investment, resulting in the banker losing Rs 3.60 lakhs.
Both cheating cases have been registered by the Matunga police, who are currently investigating the matter.