A 24-year-old student pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Applications in Ahmedabad has allegedly been defrauded of ₹9.66 lakh after falling victim to an online task scam tied to fraudulent e-commerce assignments. The complainant, Dhruv Patel, a resident of Naroda, was persuaded to transfer increasing sums of money across a thirteen-day window after receiving minor initial payouts for evaluating Amazon product links. Local police and cybercrime authorities have launched a formal probe following Patel’s complaint, which details how the fraudsters blocked his account access and demanded repeated payments under the pretext of clearance fees, taxes, and insurance charges.
Initial Trust Built Through Micro Earnings and Early Withdrawals
The interaction began on October 8 when Patel was added without prior consent to a WhatsApp group operating under the name ‘IYOM’. Group administrators instructed him to click product links and return verification screenshots in exchange for immediate commissions. Once Patel submitted proof for the introductory task, the handlers directed him to join an affiliated Telegram community where participants took on larger product-ranking jobs. The syndicate credited ₹160 to his account following the first assignment, leading him to believe the business model was authentic.
Confidence in the process deepened when the administrators permitted Patel to make a successful withdrawal of ₹2,000. Operating under the impression that the earnings were genuine, he agreed to advance to higher-tier tasks that required participants to deposit their own money via QR codes and direct bank transfers. Organizers informed him that standard tasks had to be finished before he could qualify for high-yield prepaid assignments, urging him to deposit larger sums to sustain his account activity.
Fabricated Technical Errors Used to Extract Repeated Transfers
Complications arose when Patel sought to withdraw his accumulated balance and projected profits. The operators claimed that errors had been committed during the execution of his tasks, notifying him that his funds had been placed under restriction. To release the balance, the handlers demanded subsequent deposits to cover account-unlocking charges, statutory taxes, withdrawal fees, and insurance protections. Believing these requirements were standard procedures necessary to recover his principal, Patel complied and executed multiple transactions from his bank accounts.
Between October 9 and October 21, Patel transferred funds continuously from accounts held at the State Bank of India and The Union Co-operative Bank Ltd. His cumulative transfers eventually reached ₹9.66 lakh. Despite fulfilling every stated demand, none of his principal funds or promised earnings were returned, as the handlers continued to concoct further administrative hurdles.
Police Probe Initiated After Fresh Demands Triggered Suspicion
The deception continued until October 21, when Patel received an email correspondence purporting to originate from official customer support. The communication stated that an additional deposit of ₹52,000 was necessary before any previous funds could be remitted. Realizing that repeated demands were being fabricated to extract more capital, Patel halted all transactions and reported the scam through the national cybercrime helpline on 1930.
Following the alert, Patel submitted electronic evidence, including screenshots of message logs, administrator profile credentials, and transaction histories, to cybercrime investigators. Police have initiated inquiries into the specific mobile numbers, Telegram channels, and beneficiary bank accounts identified in the complaint. Officers are tracing the movement of the transferred funds to identify the beneficiaries, while reiterating that internet users must exercise extreme caution when encountering unsolicited online part-time employment offers that demand upfront financial deposits.
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