Pune: A 38-year-old fund accounting professional from Moshi allegedly lost Rs 8 lakh to cyber fraudsters after falling prey to an online task scam while searching for a new job following a layoff.The fraud took place between July 9 and 14, during which the victim transferred money to multiple bank accounts on the instructions of the accused. After realising he had been cheated, he approached the Bhosari MIDC police on Saturday and lodged a complaint.A police officer said, “The complainant had been working with a private company as a fund accounting professional before losing his job in May. While looking for new employment opportunities, he received a message from an unknown mobile number on July 9 offering a part-time job.”“After accepting the offer, he was assigned tasks involving posting ratings and reviews online. The fraudsters promised a 30% return on the amount invested for completing the tasks. To gain his confidence, they initially allowed him to earn the promised profit on small investments”, he said.The officer said the victim first transferred Rs 11,900 on July 10 and was later asked to pay another Rs 36,900 to withdraw his earnings. Believing the claims, he continued transferring money, including Rs 4 lakh on July 10. Between July 13 and 14, the fraudsters extracted more payments on the pretext of releasing his earlier investments, ultimately cheating him of Rs 8 lakh.
