Online part-time job scam: Chennai police arrest 3 in separate incidents

CHENNAI: In separate incidents, cybercrime units of the city police have arrested three persons who cheated city residents of several lakhs of rupees through online part-time job scams or the “Google reviews” scam.

According to police officials, in online part-time job scams, the tasks are simple like YouTube promotion or adding five stars to a hotel in another state to their Google review. A screenshot of the review should be sent to the number that assigned the task for which the public gets paid. Then you take a screenshot and send it back to the number that assigned you the task for which you are paid. However, to get more such tasks, the public is asked to invest a sum and are promised exponential returns.

North Zone cybercrime unit arrested a 39-year-old man, S Veeraraghavan from Tirunindravur based on a complaint from K Mohanapriya (27), a resident of New Washermenpet, who lost over Rs 4.5 lakh after investing her money in the online part-time job scam.

Mohanapriya had received a call saying that she would be paid Rs 200 for each screenshot she took of a YouTube video and shared in the Telegram group created exclusively for this purpose. She ended up paying Rs 4.5 lakh to the scamsters in 49 installments. However, when she expressed interest in withdrawing the money with the profit, she was asked to pay more after which she filed a complaint.

Tracing the bank account to which Mohanapriya's money was sent, police arrested the accused.

In a similar case registered in the West Zone cybercrime unit, a 27-year-old woman, V Nagananthini of Virugambakkam lost Rs 3.61 lakh of her savings in the online part-time job scam.

The police arrested P Selvam (28) and S Saravanan (29) from Tiruvannamalai for luring Nagananthini into the scam and cheating her.

The accused in both cases were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.