In the aftermath of a cyber fraud in 2022, a 26-year-old woman found herself ensnared in a financial quagmire and is still reeling from the staggering loss of ₹19 lakh. Despite exhaustive efforts by law enforcement agencies, the trail has remained elusive.
Ramani V. (name changed), lured by a work-from-home (WFH) advertisement on Instagram, clicked a link following which she started receiving messages on WhatsApp. The fraudsters even spoke to her through WhatsApp calls. She was asked to type 40-page content in word format as part of the job. In anticipation of securing the job, Ramani, mother of a child, typed the content and sent it across. “I took about 12 days to complete the work. After I sent the content, the fraudsters posing as recruiters directed me to send registration fees, processing fees, quality check fees, salary transaction fees, and others. In about 15 days, I transferred about ₹19 lakh,” she lamented.
Ms. Ramani, besides emptying her account, pledged gold to arrange money keeping her spouse in the dark. A Bachelor of Computer Applications graduate, Ms. Ramani in her eagerness to earn money to better the family’s living status was deceived by the cybercriminals. “Now, I am working as a receptionist at a gym near my residence to earn back my money. The incident haunts me everyday,” she said.
