Hyderabad: Techie loses Rs 54.67 lakh in online commission fraud; case registered

Hyderabad: Cyber fraudsters duped an IT professional from Hyderabad of Rs 54.67 lakh after luring him with a fake online task promising commissions for rating branded products.

The incident came to light under the Patancheru Police Station limits of Sangareddy district, according to Circle Inspector Raju.

Telegram message turns costly

The victim, an employee of HCL residing in Praneeth Colony, Balanagar, received a Telegram message on September 15. The message contained a link claiming that users could earn easy money by giving ratings to branded products. Believing it to be genuine, the employee opened the link and created an account on the platform.

Small profits to build trust

To test the scheme, he initially invested Rs 5,000 and was shown a return of Rs 12,500. Convinced by the quick profit, he made another payment of Rs 59,800 and continued investing over the next few days. In total, he deposited Rs 7.14 lakh through multiple transactions.

New excuses, bigger losses

When the victim tried to withdraw his supposed earnings, the fraudsters began making further demands — Rs 5 lakh to improve his “credit score,” Rs 6 lakh to open a “VIP channel,” and Rs 12.5 lakh as “withdrawal charges.” Falling for their claims, the employee kept transferring money until the total reached Rs 54,67,488.

Realization and Police Complaint

The fraudsters later demanded another Rs 8 lakh, assuring him that all funds would then be released. This raised suspicion, prompting the victim to stop further payments and approach the police. Based on his complaint, Patancheru Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the culprits.