BCA Student Loses ₹9.66 Lakh in ‘Amazon Task’ Cyber Fraud in Ahmedabad
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 24-year-old BCA student from Ahmedabad’s Naroda area allegedly lost ₹9.66 lakh in an online task fraud after cybercriminals lured him with promises of earnings through Amazon product-ranking assignments, police said.
The complainant, Dhruv Patel, a final-year BCA student at Parul University, alleged that fraudsters initially paid him small rewards for completing online tasks before persuading him to transfer larger sums of money. They later demanded additional payments under the pretext of taxes, insurance and withdrawal charges.
WhatsApp Group Led Student to Telegram Tasks
According to the complaint, Patel was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘IYOM’ on October 8. Members asked him to open Amazon product links and share screenshots in exchange for money.
After he completed an initial demonstration task, the accused allegedly directed him to a Telegram group offering earnings through product-ranking assignments.
Patel said he initially received ₹160 for completing a task, leading him to believe the arrangement was genuine. He was then asked to register on online portals and complete more assignments, some of which required advance payments through QR codes and bank transfers.
The fraudsters allegedly told him that he needed to complete several tasks before proceeding to a prepaid assignment that required a deposit. As he progressed, they persuaded him to transfer additional amounts to continue the assignments and unlock his earnings.
Fraudsters Demanded More Money to Release Balance
Patel told the police that he was initially allowed to withdraw ₹2,000, reinforcing his belief that the scheme was legitimate.
However, when he attempted to withdraw larger amounts, the operators allegedly claimed he had made mistakes while completing the tasks. They told him that his account needed to be unlocked through further payments.
The accused allegedly demanded money for account-related procedures, taxes, insurance and other charges, promising to release his accumulated balance once the payments were completed.
Between October 9 and October 21, Patel transferred money from his State Bank of India account and his account with The Union Co-operative Bank Ltd. The transactions listed in the complaint total ₹9.66 lakh.
Student Approached Cybercrime Helpline
On October 21, Patel received an email allegedly claiming to be from customer support. It asked him to pay a further ₹52,000 to recover the money he had already deposited.
Suspecting that he had been cheated, Patel contacted the cybercrime helpline in 1930 and registered a complaint.
He has sought action against the mobile numbers allegedly used by the fraudsters, those who sent him the links, the administrators of the Telegram groups and the holders of the bank accounts that received the money.
Patel also submitted screenshots of WhatsApp conversations, profile details and other electronic evidence to assist the investigation. Police are investigating the alleged fraud and tracing the money trail to identify those involved.
