Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested the leader of a cyber fraudster gang involved in duping people of Rs 21 crore on the pretext of offering 'work from home' (WFH) jobs. The accused has 37 cases registered against him across the country and 855 cyber criminal cases. Also, he reportedly has connections in China and cheated clients by opening fake bank accounts.
A man from Uttarakhand, who was looking for online jobs, filed a complaint with cyber police alleging that he was cheated by cyber fraudsters of Rs 20 lakh promising online job opportunities. In his complaint, the victim said that he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number offering him WFH job at Marriott Bonvoy hotel group. He received a message from '@soni2343' on Telegram App to get employed.
The caller identified herself as Sonia from the famous hotel group Marriott Bonvoy and promised him a handsome income. The victim was told that he could earn commission by booking hotels online. For which, Sonia sent him a link of a fake hotel site and he got added to the Telegram group through a link.
The victim was asked to transfer a total of Rs 19,94,853 to different accounts as part of his assignment and in the process got cheated of Rs 20 lakhs. On the basis of the victim's complaint, a case was registered against the unknown accused. A team was set up and investigations revealed that the accused was from Haryana. The STF team arrested Rishabh Sharma in Gurugram in Haryana.
Police said the gang trapped people luring them of commission while working from home. Although initially, the victims are given some commission, later on cyber fraudsters end up emptying their bank accounts.
