A 32-year-old man from Hyderabad has allegedly lost Rs 37.86 lakh after falling victim to an online task-based job scam that promised commissions for promoting luxury products through a fraudulent website.
The victim, a resident of Bandlaguda Jagir in Ranga Reddy district, was approached on Telegram by a woman identifying herself as Anjali Arekar. She claimed to represent a company called Jimmy Choo Designer Shopping and offered him money for liking and purchasing products online. The assignment involved completing 90 tasks daily in exchange for commissions.
According to the complaint, another woman, identified as Diya, contacted him on November 15, 2024, and instructed him to join a Telegram group and register on a website using an invitation code.
Initially, the operation appeared genuine. After completing his first set of tasks and depositing Rs 10,000, he received Rs 17,392. A second deposit of Rs 10,000 reportedly earned him Rs 17,596, encouraging him to continue.
However, the payment demands soon escalated. He was asked to deposit increasing amounts for special product orders, including Rs 88,261, Rs 1.88 lakh and Rs 4.75 lakh. Later, scammers demanded Rs 13.56 lakh against a luxury product allegedly worth Rs 33 lakh.
When he attempted to withdraw his accumulated balance, the operators demanded Rs 10.91 lakh as income tax. His wallet displayed Rs 52.65 lakh, but his account was subsequently locked. He was then asked to pay another Rs 13.16 lakh to reset his password.
The victim eventually realised the fraud after transferring Rs 37,86,755 through bank accounts and UPI IDs. He recovered only Rs 50,894, leaving him with a reported loss of Rs 37,35,861.
Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
