Ajmer: A 65-year-old retired bank officer and chartered accountant was allegedly duped of Rs 75.36 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him with a part-time job and later trapped him in a fake cryptocurrency trading scheme.According to police, the victim, who had retired from service, was added to a WhatsApp group named SFA8 on June 5. The group’s administrator claimed to be an HR representative of Sun Tech Web Services and offered online part-time work with promised earnings of Rs 3,000 to Rs 8,000 per day.Initially, the victim was assigned simple tasks such as sending screenshots and was paid small amounts ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 160, helping the fraudsters gain his trust.Later, he was persuaded to join a cryptocurrency trading platform and invest small amounts, which yielded returns and commissions. Encouraged by the initial profits, he continued investing larger sums.The fraudsters subsequently demanded additional payments under various pretexts, including joint data tasks, credit score upgrades, GST charges, account upgrades and refund processing fees. Trusting the scheme, the victim borrowed money from friends and relatives and transferred a total of Rs 75.36 lakh to multiple bank accounts.Whenever he attempted to withdraw his earnings, the fraudsters allegedly demanded further payments in the name of taxes and other charges. After repeated demands, the victim realised he was cheated and lodged a complaint with the cybercrime helpline.Cyber Police circle officer Shamsher Khan said that around Rs 8 lakh has been put on hold following the complaint and an investigation is underway.
