Cybercrooks dupe youngsters of Rs 1 crore on job promise in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Cybercriminals duped more than 30 youngsters from parts of Vizag to the tune of over Rs 1 crore collectively on the promise of securing jobs in IT companies, banks and reputed MNCs.A 30-year-old youngster from Vizag city accepted a friend request on Facebook from a person named Shashank. During the regular conversations, Shashank assured him that he could secure employment in MNCs and the banking sector. Later, Shashank induced him to transfer some money for the registration process and a few other proceedings.Trusting Shashank, the victim transferred amounts to him through UPI payments and transferred around Rs 10 lakh. However, no employment was provided, and Shashank stopped the conversation with the victim. Realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the cybercrime police station in Vizag city, lodged a complaint, seeking stringent action against the accused and recovery of the lost amount.Similarly, the cybercrooks duped another youngster by promising him employment in a bank. The fraudster informed the victim that he needed to pay some amount to secure the job. The victim transferred Rs 2 lakh to a bank account number provided to him. The caller subsequently demanded more money, claiming it was needed for further proceedings. The complainant transferred a total of Rs 10 lakh to different bank account numbers.Cybercrooks have been duping netizens, particularly youngsters, under the guise of employment opportunities in IT firms and banks and duping them to the tune of lakhs. The fraudsters also share fake offer letters with victims. In a few cases, the complainants realised that the letters were fake after the company denied issuing any such job offers.Fake job rackets have become a booming industry, thanks to shrinking jobs in both public and private sectors. Cybercriminals increasingly tailored their scams based on their targets. Cybercriminals exploited various patterns to siphon off lakhs of rupees from unsuspecting victims, said a senior police officer.Police advised the public to be wary of job opportunities that seem too good to be true. They said any information about such job scams must be reported to the police number 1930 or on cybercrime.gov.in.