Nagpur professor loses more than Rs 37 lakh to ‘task fraud’

Nagpur, June 26

A professor at an engineering college in Maharashtra’s Nagpur allegedly lost Rs 37.48 lakh to cyber fraudsters in a “task scam”, police said on Monday.

Based on a complaint lodged by the woman, the Mankapur police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology (IT) Act, an official said.

The fraud took place between May 8 and June 22, he said.

The 43-year-old professor received a message from an unknown number on WhatsApp and the sender posed as an employee at a human research firm, the official said.

The complainant was given the task of liking YouTube videos for rewards and she accepted the task and received some money, he said.

The complainant was also lured into investing in crypto currency and over time, she transferred Rs 37.48 lakh to different bank accounts as instructed by the fraudster, the official said.

The woman realised that she had been duped after she couldn’t get in touch with the fraudster despite repeated attempts, he added.