The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad, has attached ₹32.34 crore collectively lying as balance in 580 bank accounts in a case of part-time job scam. The fraud revolved around the guise of review and ratings of websites, hotels, resorts, etc, said the officials.
The probe was launched on the basis of an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime police of Hyderabad under various sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the IPC against unknown persons. During investigation, it was revealed that more than 50 FIRs have been registered at various police stations across the country in connection to this scam.
The masterminds of the scam operated the bank accounts sitting in the UAE and had already collected a large number of bank account kits containing internet banking credentials, debit cards and cheque books with related SIM cards sourced from several middlemen who got the bank accounts opened in the names of shell entities using fake/forged documents or obtained such kits for commission.
The ED investigation revealed that the scamsters collected more than ₹524 crore in more than 175 bank accounts, used only for a brief period ranging from 1-15 days, and the money would be regularly diverted to other accounts.
“Money trail revealed that the scam money collected in these 175 bank accounts were transferred to more than 480 bank accounts and used mainly for purchasing crypto currencies, making hawala payments in India and remitting abroad in the guise of import payments,” said the officials.
