New Delhi: A businessman from west Delhi lost Rs50 lakh after cyber fraudsters duped him in a work-from-home scheme that promised easy earnings through online tasks.The complainant, who is engaged in the trading of plastic materials and food grains, told police that he was approached with an offer for part-time work that promised attractive returns for completing simple online assignments.He was added to a social media group of around 40 members, where participants were given tasks related to rating restaurants and improving their reviews. The work initially appeared genuine to him as he received Rs 1,105 after completing his first assignment. The payment, according to his complaint, gave him confidence that he could earn more by taking up additional tasks and encouraged him to continue with the scheme.The people running the operation subsequently told him that higher earnings could be made by paying a processing fee for different online tasks. An online wallet was created in his name, displaying amounts described as his earnings. This further reinforced his belief that the money being deposited was part of a legitimate earning process and that he would eventually be able to withdraw it.The fraudsters then introduced him to what they described as “special” tasks, telling him that completing these assignments would fetch higher commissions. However, each such task required him to make additional payments. As the process continued, the amount demanded from him increased.The businessman made several attempts to stop the process and withdraw the money that had accumulated in the online wallet. He was told that he could not take out the funds midway and that the amount would remain locked unless he completed the pending tasks. The businessman ultimately lost Rs45.2 lakh from one bank account and another Rs5 lakh from a separate account. The total loss came to Rs50 lakh. He was unable to recover the amount despite making repeated attempts to get his money back.
