Mumbai Woman Lost Rs 2.33 Lakh In Amazon Work From Home Scam

MUMBAI:  A 37-year-old homemaker from Borivali, Mumbai lost Rs 2.33 lakh in a cyber-fraud after she received a mail purporting to be from Amazon offering her a work-from-home business in which she would have to invest money to buy an Amazon product and then boost its rating to earn a commission.

On August 16, she got the message. After receiving an SMS, the woman called the number and the conman told her that if she helps them sell Amazon products and increase their sales, she could earn a hefty commission.

The fraudster then emailed her a “Power of Attorney Letter” after she consented. She was then instructed to purchase Amazon goods by sending money to a specific e-wallet, for which she would receive a commission of Rs 200.

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The woman paid Rs 5,000 and received Rs 200 in commission along with her investment amount in her bank account shortly after. Cybercriminals initially returned the money to win her confidence.

On August 17, the fraudster contacted her on Telegram and connected her to a senior officer claiming he will contact her for a “larger mission.”

The woman received a Telegram message from the scammer asking her to deposit money into nine separate e-wallet accounts. The woman paid Rs 2.33 lakh under the mistaken belief that she would receive Rs 4.04 lakh.

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When she did not receive the money, she contacted the con artist, who informed her that she would be required to pay Rs 80,700 in income tax.

The woman demanded her money back, but the conman refused and demanded that she first pay the income tax. After realising she had been cheated, the woman went to the Borivali police station and filed an FIR on August 19.

Scammers are sending bulk messages to a large number of people across India and cheating them. Various identical communications from multiple locations were tracked all promising instant money. Many of the WhatsApp numbers used to send these messages do not originate in India. While the text of the messages may vary somewhat, the gist remains the same. One can make money quickly by performing easy actions; all one has to do is click on the link included in these messages.

Many people lost their employment as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, while others looked for ways to make money without leaving their homes.

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