Ahmedabad Man Scammed of ₹28.57 Lakh in Fake Canada Job Racket
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 38-year-old local businessman fell victim to an elaborate international employment racket after cyber fraudsters impersonating executives of job portal Indeed and a Canadian firm cheated him of ₹28.57 lakh under the guise of processing a Toronto-based job offer.
Malav Yogeshkumar Shah, a resident of Isanpur, filed a formal complaint with the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police on September 1 detailing how scamsters manipulated him over several weeks through fake interview setups, forged paperwork, and continuous financial demands.
How the Phishing Scheme Unfolded
Shah, who had uploaded his CV onto online job search portals, received an email on June 26 from the address "info(at)teamindeed(dot)in". The communication offered him the role of Assistant Manager-Purchase at Giraffe Foods in Toronto, complete with promises of visa coverage, flight expenses, family accommodation, health insurance, and child education support.
The scammers initiated their financial demands by asking Shah to pay an initial recruitment identification fee of ₹1,850 via PhonePe. The following day, a caller identifying himself as Deepak Agarwal, claiming to be a Senior Manager at Indeed India Operations Pvt Ltd, informed Shah that an interview with the Canadian recruiter was scheduled.
On June 29, a phone interview was conducted in English by a woman posing as Priscilla, Senior Manager at Giraffe Foods. Shortly after the call, Agarwal confirmed Shah's selection and emailed a counterfeit offer letter bearing the company's brand details and employment terms.
Siphoning Lakhs Under Administrative Pretexts
Between July 1 and July 15, the fraudsters systematically extracted large sums from Shah. They demanded money for document verification, family medical checks, residency permits, bank account setup, fund commitments, ESDC agreements, GST charges, and immigration processing.
Following their instructions, Shah transferred money across multiple transactions to various bank accounts provided via email. The payments included ₹7,290 for document checks alongside larger transfers totalling ₹28.48 lakh, taking his total payments to ₹28.57 lakh.
Extortion Attempts and Police Investigation
The fraud unraveled on July 15 when Agarwal claimed the Canadian embassy had cancelled Shah's visa file due to missing paperwork, demanding an additional 20,000 Canadian dollars for reprocessing. When Shah refused and warned of legal action, the suspect claimed the firm would issue a refund if Shah paid ₹2.81 lakh as a service charge. Shah declined.
On July 22, another accomplice identifying herself as Priya, Senior Accountant at Indeed India Operations Pvt Ltd, contacted Shah offering to handle his refund file in exchange for an advance fee of ₹18,000 plus GST.
Realising he was being defrauded, Shah alerted the cybercrime helpline 1930 and lodged an official complaint with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch Cyber Cell. Investigators have registered a case against the unidentified accused and are analyzing the phone numbers, spoofed email addresses, bank transaction trails, and digital markers to track the syndicate.
