Mumbai Woman Defrauded of Rs 11.28 Lakh in Sophisticated Job Portal Cyber Scam
A 43-year-old woman from Mumbai has become the latest victim of a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme, losing a staggering Rs 11.28 lakh after uploading her curriculum vitae on popular job portals. The incident highlights the growing risks faced by job seekers in the digital age, where personal information shared online can be exploited by criminals.
How the Elaborate Scam Unfolded
The victim, identified as Savita B, a resident of Mulund, had been actively searching for employment opportunities for several months. Like millions of Indians, she registered her biodata on prominent job websites including Shine and Naukri.com, hoping to connect with potential employers.
On December 3, she received an unexpected call from an unknown mobile number. The caller introduced himself as Abhinav Mishra, claiming to represent the job portal Indeed. He informed Savita that he had accessed her profile through Naukri.com and had promising job opportunities to discuss.
The Fake Recruitment Process
Mishra presented what seemed like a golden opportunity: vacancies for managerial positions at three major international banks—Bank of America, Citibank, and Wells Fargo. Expressing interest in the Bank of America role, Savita was told she needed to pay a registration fee of Rs 5,850 to proceed, which she transferred to a provided UPI ID.
The scam took a more elaborate turn two days later when Mishra announced that Anupam Chakraborty, purportedly the head of Bank of America, would conduct her interview. At the scheduled time of 3 PM, Mishra connected Savita to Chakraborty for what appeared to be a formal job interview.
Escalating Financial Demands
Following the interview, Savita received an email from what seemed to be a legitimate job portal, congratulating her on being selected as a Senior Manager at Bank of America's Bandra (East) branch. The fraudsters sent a counterfeit appointment letter from Bank of America, requesting her personal documents for processing.
To verify these documents, they demanded an additional Rs 29,950, which Savita paid. This marked the beginning of a series of escalating financial requests over the next month. Mishra repeatedly contacted her with various pretexts—processing fees, security deposits, administrative charges—each requiring substantial money transfers to different UPI IDs.
He consistently assured her that all amounts would be refunded once she formally joined Bank of America. Trusting these assurances, Savita continued transferring money until the total reached Rs 11.28 lakh.
The Realization and Police Action
The truth began to dawn on Savita when Mishra stopped answering her calls starting January 22. Realizing she had been deceived, she approached the East Region Cyber Police station in Mumbai. Authorities have registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched an investigation into what appears to be a well-organized cyber fraud operation.
Police suspect that cyber criminals systematically harvest personal data from job portals, then pose as legitimate recruiters to target vulnerable job seekers. This case serves as a stark warning about the importance of verifying employment opportunities and being cautious with financial transactions during job searches.
