Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jul 6: A 25-year-old woman from Pernem was allegedly cheated of Rs 3.69 lakh in an online job scam after fraudsters lured her with a fake work-from-home offer and induced her to make multiple payments on various pretexts.

According to Mandrem Police, the victim, a resident of Korgao, was added to a WhatsApp group by an unidentified person using mobile number 8698639192 on Apr. 20 and was offered a part-time work-from-home job.

Police said the woman initially received payments after completing assigned tasks, leading her to believe that the job offer was genuine.

However, when she attempted to withdraw her earnings, the fraudsters allegedly claimed that she had selected the wrong withdrawal option and asked her to deposit additional money to process the transaction.

The accused later informed her that she had entered an incorrect bank account number and convinced her to transfer Rs 2 lakh to "unfreeze" her account. She was subsequently asked to pay another Rs 2.40 lakh, claiming her credit score was too low.

Believing the claims, the woman continued transferring money before eventually realising she had been cheated after paying a total of Rs 3,69,400.

Based on her complaint, Mandrem Police have registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for cheating.

Police said efforts are underway to identify and trace the unknown accused, and further investigation is in progress.