A team of Uttarakhand police arrested a 33-year-old man from Jodhpur on Monday for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore online scam. The accused, Mohammed Waqar, a resident of Mathania in the Jodhpur district, was wanted by the police from 20 different states across the country in the online cheating scam believed to be approximately Rs 28 crore.
Waqar was part of a gang that cheated people by luring them to earn quick money through liking and subscribing to YouTube videos. The gang created fake websites of reputable companies and contacted people on social media. They enticed people to earn Rs 8,000 daily for a job that involved liking and subscribing to various YouTube videos.
Moreover, they convinced people to invest money for higher returns and dishonestly took the funds. One of the co-accused in the case had already been arrested.
How the scam worked
The accused would contact people through WhatsApp or social media, offering them a job that involved liking and subscribing to YouTube videos. They would promise the victims that they could earn up to Rs 8,000 per day for their work.
In order to start working, the victims would need to invest a small amount of money, typically Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000. Once the victims had invested their money, the accused would send them a link to a fake website that looked like a real company.
The scammers instructed the victims to like and subscribe to a specific number of YouTube videos. After finishing, they were informed that they could withdraw their earnings.
However, when the victims tried to withdraw their earnings, they would be told that they needed to invest more money in order to unlock their funds. The victims would continue to invest more money, believing that they would eventually be able to withdraw their earnings.
However, the victims would never be able to withdraw their money. The accused would simply keep the money for themselves.
How to avoid online scams
There are a few things you can do to avoid online scams:
- Be suspicious of any offer that sounds too good to be true.
- Never invest money in an online job without doing your research.
- Be careful about what information you share online.
- Only use secure websites when making online transactions.
If you think you have been a victim of an online scam, you should report it to the police.
Other recent fraud alerts
In addition to the online scam in Jodhpur, there have been a number of other recent fraud alerts. These include:
- Authorities in Mumbai arrested two people for cheating youngsters with job offers abroad, uncovering a job racket.
- A work-from-home scam where scammers pose as HR representatives and instruct victims to perform tasks like following social media accounts and watching YouTube videos.
- The Dutch police investigated and arrested two individuals for leaking state secrets.
It’s crucial to know about these tricks so you can keep yourself safe from falling for them.