Man loses ₹11.36 lakh to ‘part-time job’ scam in Gujarat, Here’s how to avoid them

“Congratulations! You are shortlisted for a part-time and work from home job opportunity. We will pay you up to (an outrageous amount) for 2-3 hours of work a day.”

Messages like these have become a regular occurance on social media, especially on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.  Numerous incidents of unaware citizens losing their money in such ‘part-time jobs’ or online task-related jobs have surfaced in recent times.

In one such incident, a Telangana youth staying in Gandhinagar’s Randesan was scammed off ₹11.36 lakh by part-time job scam, luring him off high returns for tasks related to rating and reviewing online.

Suresh Romaiah Ankam, who works at a private firm and resides in Randesan, joined a Telegram group, where he was lured by the scammers to provide reviews and ratings for money, in the name of a “part-time job”.

According to the complaint filed, Ankam was asked to join a Telegram group, and on completion of various tasks, an amount of ₹300 was deposited to his bank account.

However, he was asked to deposit some amount to ‘release’ his earnings. On various occasions, he was asked to deposit money, with a total amounting to ₹11.36 lakh.

When Ankam was asked to deposit more money, he realised that he was scammed, he filed a complaint to the Gandhinagar cybercrime, who have initiated a probe into the matter.

How to avoid work-from-home and part time job scams?

• If there’s a fee for job, it should be avoided, also avoid vague ‘offers’
• Check the company’s online presence including LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media.
• Try to connect to their current or previous employees online and check if there are reliable and authentic reviews of the company online.
• Check the website, office address and contact numbers of the company. Call and confirm the authenticity of contact numbers, if you are in the same city, visit their office.
• If the offer seems too generous, trust your intuitions and back off. No one would pay outrageous amounts for little or no work!
• Always consult family, friends, and acquaintances before ‘paying’ any fees for such jobs or before providing account details to unknown entities.

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