Hyderabad: A 27-year-old resident of Begumpet was duped of more than Rs.3.5 lakh by cybercriminals. The fraudsters posing as representatives of Goibibo. lured the victim to finish fake task-based earning scheme on Telegram and WhatsApp. According to police, the victim received a message on Telegram and a call on WhatsApp from individuals claiming to be from the Goibibo India Promotions Department. They promised easy earnings through simple online tasks like rating hotels using links sent through Telegram. Initially, the scammers credited Rs.970 and later Rs.17,109 in the victim’s account and falsely showed the genuineness of the scheme.On June 22, the victim was added to a Telegram group where fake users shared screenshots of their supposed profits. Influenced by this, he invested Rs.1 lakh. As tasks progressed, the scammers manipulated a fake website to display a negative wallet balance pushing on further deposits.The victim transferred Rs.88,027 and another Rs.1 lakh on the same day, followed by Rs.1,69,882 on June 23. When the fake site showed Rs.5 lakh deficit and promised 15 lakh in returns, the victim grew suspicious and contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 to report the fraud.Hyderabad cybercrime police have issued public advisory urging citizens not to trust investment offers on Telegram, WhatsApp, or unverified platforms. Victims are advised to immediately report such frauds on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
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