Private firm employees lose ₹2.6 crore in separate investment scams
A 38-year-old employee of a private firm, from HBR Layout in Bengaluru, allegedly lost ₹1.21 crore to a sophisticated online task-based investment scam that operated
A 38-year-old employee of a private firm, from HBR Layout in Bengaluru, allegedly lost ₹1.21 crore to a sophisticated online task-based investment scam that operated for over two years. According to a complaint registered at the East CEN Crime Police Station, the victim, a resident of Brindavan Nagar, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number in January 2024. The message contained a link to an application that promised commissions for completing online tasks. Initially, the victim was asked to invest small amounts ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹50,000. The application allegedly displayed attractive returns, with investments of ₹1,000, ₹5,000, and ₹50,000 reportedly yielding ₹3,000, ₹10,000, and ₹1 lakh, respectively. Encouraged by these profits, he continued using the platform and invested increasingly larger sums. The police said the victim transferred a total of ₹1,21,99,000 between January 2024 and May 26, 2026, to multiple bank accounts provided through the application.
The complainant told the police that the high returns displayed on the application convinced him that the platform was genuine. However, when he was unable to recover his investments, he realised he had been cheated. The victim has alleged that unidentified fraudsters operating the application duped him of ₹1.21 crore, and he sought legal action against them. He has also requested assistance in recovering the lost funds. A complaint has been filed on the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and the East CEN Crime Police have registered a case and have initiated an investigation into the fraud. The authorities are examining the bank accounts and digital trail linked to the scam. The police have once again advised the public to remain cautious of online platforms that promise unusually high returns for completing simple tasks, as such schemes are increasingly being used by cybercriminals to lure victims into investing large amounts of money.
In a similar fraud, a Bengaluru resident allegedly lost ₹1.39 crore in a sophisticated forex investment scam operated through Telegram and multiple fraudulent trading websites. According to the complaint, the victim came in contact with a woman identifying herself as Nisha Sharma through Telegram on April 9. She allegedly persuaded him to invest in forex trading. The victim stated that he was directed to interact with another Telegram account and invest through several trading websites. Initially, Nisha allegedly encouraged him to make smaller investments of around ₹50,000. Over time, she repeatedly convinced him to invest larger amounts by showcasing substantial profits on the trading platform’s dashboard. The victim alleged that he eventually invested a total of about ₹1.39 crore. The online trading account subsequently displayed a balance of nearly ₹4.5 crore, including purported profits.
The BriefWire