Online Job Scam: How Two Thane Men Lost Rs 28 Lakh After Completing 'Part-Time Tasks'

If you are on a quest to find an additional source of income and want to get into part-time task-based jobs, beware that scammers are out there lurking to trick and scam you out of your hard-earned money. Part-time task-based scams have become quite a menace lately, with people losing lakhs, and in some cases, even crores.

Now, in the latest case, two men from Thane cumulatively lost a whopping Rs 28 lakh in two separate incidents. Both victims fell prey to an online task/job scam, as reported by the Times of India.

In the first case, a man named Alhad Ranade, who runs a computer repair shop in Dombivli, lost Rs 17 lakh. He claims that he received messages on both WhatsApp and Instagram from someone who promised him extra income. In return, all he had to do was give hotel reviews on Google. Later he was asked to purchase bitcoin for assured 20 to 30 percent returns, but of course, this was a scam, and when the man asked for his invested money, the accused failed to transfer it back.

More or less the same happened to Dhiraj Tolani from Ambernath when he lost his Rs 11 lakh.

“The suspects came in contact with the complainant on WhatsApp. He was asked to perform simple online tasks, such as liking and rating different products to improve the public perception of the brands,” the police were quoted as saying.

The victim was offered a small amount of money initially to earn trust, but later, he was asked to invest more for “handsome rewards.” And, he, too, never got his money back.

How Can You Be Safe?

It is paramount to understand that no one in their right mind would offer you easy money, especially not for doing simple tasks such as liking YouTube videos or writing reviews on Google.

If you receive any such opportunity on any social media platform, make sure to report it and never reply to such scammers. Also, refrain from sharing any personal identification, as it may be used against you down the line.

In addition, you should always get in touch with the concerned authorities, and report if a similar incident happened to you, instead of staying silent so that others can be protected.