When the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted his vegetable vending enterprise, a 27-year-old man, Rishabh Sharma from Gurgaon resorted to unethical methods to make ends meet. He purportedly deceived multiple individuals by offering deceptive remote work prospects, accumulating an estimated sum of Rs. 21 crores, as stated by the Times of India. Rishabh Sharma, residing in Sector 9 in Gurgaon, found himself entangled in thirty-seven instances of fraud spanning across ten distinct states, with an additional 855 cases linked to his activities.
Earlier reports indicated that he was apprehended by the Uttarakhand police on October 28, following the tracking of his bank accounts, which he utilized for receiving funds from his victims. Authorities are currently looking into claims that Rishabh collaborated with international criminal organizations and facilitated the transfer of funds to nations such as China, Singapore, and Hong Kong through methods like hawala and cryptocurrency.
According to Ankush Mishra, who serves as the DSP (cyber police) in Dehradun, Rishabh had to close down his vegetable business due to the financial losses incurred during the pandemic. Subsequently, he explored various work-from-home options to provide for his family. During this period, he reconnected with an old friend who was already involved in online scams. Within a remarkably short span of six months, Rishabh managed to accumulate Rs. 21 crore through these deceitful activities. His approach involved making random calls to individuals from a phone number database supplied by his friend and enticing them with employment offers.
His most recent victim, a businessperson located in Dehradun, fell prey to a scam that resulted in a loss of Rs. 20 lakh. The businessman received a WhatsApp message presenting a work-from-home opportunity to compose reviews for Marriott Bonvoy hotels. Rishabh, assuming the identity of a Marriott Bonvoy representative, introduced the businessman to his supposed colleague, Sonia, who was portrayed as an associate of one of the hotels. Sonia then guided the businessman to a fraudulent website, instructing him to write favourable reviews and respond to guest inquiries.
Initially, the businessman, trusting the legitimacy of the platform, was persuaded to invest funds into the website in exchange for a portion of the earnings. After receiving an initial payment of Rs. 10,000, the victim was enticed into investing approximately Rs. 20 lakh within the next month. However, when he sought the promised returns, Rishabh and Sonia ceased all communication and became unreachable, as their phone numbers were turned off. Subsequently, the businessman lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police station in Dehradun, resulting in the registration of an FIR on October 4.
Image credits: TOI
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