VISAKHAPATNAM: Driven by greed and unemployment among youngsters, cyber fraudsters are targeting youth in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and other cities by offering online task-based jobs, such as writing reviews. Once victims are paid for these tasks, they are manipulated into losing larger sums to the fraudsters.Kumar (name changed), a youngster from Vizag city, never imagined that joining a Telegram group would lead to financial loss. He joined a group offering money for completing small online tasks. Initially, he earned small amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 as rewards but was later persuaded to invest larger sums for higher returns, eventually losing over Rs 13 lakh.Similar to Kumar, more than 20 youngsters, including students, unemployed youth, and private employees in the Vizag region, were duped in online task-based job scams, resulting in losses exceeding Rs 68 lakh. Youngsters from Vijayawada have also suffered significant losses.Speaking to TOI, Inspector K Bhanavi Prasad of the Cyber Crime Police Station in Vizag said youngsters are increasingly falling victim to task-based job scams. “Fraudsters lure individuals via WhatsApp and Telegram into completing simple tasks, such as rating restaurants or places, for money. While they pay small amounts initially to build trust, the real aim is to convince victims to invest money in various platforms, which is never recovered. We have been educating youngsters and homemakers, who are frequent targets,” he added.In many cases, the fraudsters gain the trust of victims and persuade them to invest in IPOs related to their companies, promising returns of 150 to 200 per cent. Online task-based jobs are evolving into investment scams. When victims try to withdraw their investments and expected returns, they are asked to pay additional fees, resulting in fraud, the police added.Raju (name changed), an employee with a private firm, said, “I was added to a WhatsApp group and asked to complete an online task. After completing it, they transferred Rs 500. Gradually, the number of tasks increased every day. The tasks were simple, such as giving a five-star rating for a product or a place, or sometimes a simple translation, and they paid Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per task. But one day, they asked me to deposit Rs 10,000 with a promise of Rs 3,000 per task. Suspecting a scam, I blocked the group. However, two of my friends lost Rs 20,000 each in the scam.”The police stated that while many youngsters fall victim to online task-based job scams, only 20 to 30 per cent of those who lost significant amounts approach the authorities to recover their money.How to identify online task scams
- Unrealistic Earnings: Promises of Rs 500 per task or Rs 3,000–5,000 a day.
- Payments and Demands: Initial payment per task, followed by demands for larger sums to unlock higher-level tasks.
- Fraudsters invite gullible people via WhatsApp and Telegram groups.
- Scammers use fake names or impersonate legitimate firms to lure youngsters.
- Real jobs never ask applicants to pay to work or to pay fees to withdraw earnings.
- Fraudsters show fake earning proofs to gain trust.
- Online task scams often have no website or helpline.
- Genuine employers provide offer letters, websites, and proper contact details.
How to protect yourself
- Verify every job offer from multiple sources before accepting.
- Do not share personal credentials, bank details, or OTPs.
- Never believe promises of huge returns on investments.
- Report cybercrime by calling 1930.
