Navi Mumbai woman loses Rs 24 lakh to ‘task fraud’

A 37-year-old housewife from Navi Mumbai lost over Rs 24 lakh in a “task fraud”, an official said on Friday. In her complaint, the woman, a resident of Kalamboli, said a person offered her a “job opportunity” in March. The job involved “liking videos”.

After paying her some money for the “task”, the person coaxed her into investing Rs 24.16 lakh saying she would get good returns, the official said citing the complaint. After completing the tasks assigned to her, the woman sought payment from the person she was in touch with but he became unreachable. Realising that she had been duped, the woman then approached the police.

A case was registered on Thursday for cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the IT Act, said the station house officer at the Kalamboli police station, adding that the woman only had the number of the alleged scammer.