Chennai: Authorities in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu have received 696 reports of online job fraud so far this year, leading them to develop measures to combat the growing threat.
The cyber crime wing in Vellore says that people have lost a whopping Rs 4 crore because of these scams.
According to the findings of the investigations, the fraudsters pose as bank representatives and lure the naive young people by promising them part-time jobs.
The criminals also steal the victims' financial data, including their credit and debit card information.
The gangs, who are primarily located in Delhi and Bihar, use social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to reach out to the young people.
The fraudsters then transfer the money to foreign accounts and also purchase gift cards, which makes them elusive and difficult for the authorities to track.
Authorities were able to retrieve Rs 3.45 crore despite multiple challenges.
There were 526 complaints filed in 2021, but that number skyrocketed to 1,253 in last year.
In both the years, authorities had recovered Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 3.5 crore, respectively.
The ages of the victims range from 20 years to 40 years.—Inputs from Agencies
