Part-time job scam alert! How this Pune woman lost 24 lakh after liking a YouTube video

Scammers are constantly evolving their tactics to defraud online users of their money. One increasingly common method is the job scam. This type of scam targets individuals who are searching for employment opportunities, often by posting fake job listings on job search websites or social media platforms. In a recent incident, a woman from Pune recently fell victim to a YouTube scam and lost almost 24 lakh rupees in the process.

The victim who works as an ophthalmologist was approached by scammers who gained her trust through a series of manipulative tactics. They offered her simple tasks such as liking certain YouTube videos and promised her increased earnings if she invested in their cryptocurrency scheme. The woman, hoping for easy money, agreed to deposit funds and ended up transferring a large sum of Rs 23.83 lakh to two bank accounts.

When she later attempted to withdraw her cryptocurrency investment, the scammers demanded an additional Rs 30 lakh in order to release her payment. The woman refused to pay and was subsequently unable to contact the scammers. Eventually, she realised that she had been deceived in an online scam.

In another case, a 33-year-old engineer, Pune-resident, was scammed off Rs 9 lakh after falling prey to a similar job scam. In his police statement, victim said that he received a message for part-time job offering Rs 5,000 a day for liking videos and receiving Rs 50 for each like. He was said that he could earn a 30 percent profit if he invested in prepaid tasks.

Lured by the offer, he followed the scamster’s instructions and even earned Rs 500 in few hours. He made further investments and earned up to Rs 16,000 in the process. This made him believe the scamsters and he ultimately sent a large sum of Rs 5 lakh through three UPI transactions. The fraudsters later closed the group and asked to pay more in order to receive more returns. This went on until the victim made a total payment of Rs 8.96 lakh to the scamsters.

This incident serves as a warning to individuals who are often lured by the prospect of easy money through online schemes. It is crucial to be vigilant and conduct thorough research before investing in any such schemes. It is also equally important to take note of the messages that we receive in our messaging app or social media and not to click or contact any unknown websites or phone number.