Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Nov 8: In yet another case of cyber fraud, a woman from Dakshina Kannada district has reportedly lost Rs 3.94 lac after falling prey to a fake part-time job scam advertised on social media.

A complaint in this regard has been registered at the Dakshina Kannada Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station.

According to police sources, the incident took place on November 2 when the woman was scrolling through Facebook reels. She came across a video that offered a 'part-time job to complete tasks and earn money'.

The video also displayed a contact number for inquiries. When she contacted the number via WhatsApp, the person on the other end introduced themselves as an HR Assistant from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and shared a Telegram group link for further instructions.

After joining the Telegram group, the complainant was assigned simple 'rating and reviewing' tasks related to trading platforms. To gain her trust, the fraudsters initially credited small amounts — Rs 180 and Rs 1,040 — as commissions for completed tasks. Encouraged by the initial success, the woman continued performing tasks as instructed.

Soon, she was told to transfer money to different UPI IDs, scanner codes, and bank accounts in order to 'unlock higher commission tasks'. Believing the offer to be genuine, she transferred a total of Rs 3.94 lac in multiple instalments.

However, after the transactions, the so-called job handlers stopped responding, and all communication ceased. Realising she had been cheated, the woman approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Police have urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid engaging with unsolicited job offers on social media, especially those demanding monetary deposits or advance payments.