ED attaches Rs. 32.34 crore in bank accounts linked to part-time job scam

HYDERABAD: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad, has provisionally attached Rs. 32.34 Crore lying as balance in 580 bank accounts under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in a case related to a part-time job scam disguised as website, hotel, resort, etc., review and ratings.

ED initiated an investigation based on an FIR registered by the Cybercrime police station in Hyderabad under various sections of the Information Technology Act and IPC, 1860, against unknown persons. During the investigation, it was revealed that more than 50 related FIRs have been registered at various police stations across the country in relation to the part-time job scam.

ED's investigation revealed that cyber scamsters would approach gullible persons on WhatsApp and Telegram apps and lure them by offering part-time jobs performing simple tasks, such as giving 5-star ratings to tourist websites, hotels, resorts, tourist destinations, etc., with daily income ranging between Rs. 1,000-1,500.

The scamsters collect basic details and prompt victims to join specific WhatsApp & Telegram groups using provided links. Within these groups, the scamsters' associates speak highly of the jobs and post thank-you messages showcasing high income to gain victims' trust.

The victims would then be asked to register on bogus websites/android apps using their basic details, including bank account numbers. To further lure them, the scamsters would even offer e-money/tokens worth Rs. 10,000 on the e-wallets on the bogus websites and apps.

The victims were asked to deposit money into various different bank accounts to top-up their online wallets and start working. The wallet balance would get exhausted with every task set. Initially, the commission/earnings were allowed to be withdrawn to the bank accounts to gain trust. Later, the agents on WhatsApp/Telegram would coerce the victims to deposit additional money to work more and earn more.

During the tasks of providing ratings, random pop-ups would appear with premium tasks carrying higher commission/rewards but requiring more deposits, leading to the wallet balances turning negative.

Victims were then asked to top up their wallets to continue the rating tasks. In case of non-payment, the wallet balances were frozen and could not be withdrawn. The premium tasks would pop up more often, requiring additional deposits from victims, and those who could not pay would be coerced to deposit the money anyhow, failing which their entire wallet balance would be forfeited.

Despite completing all tasks, when the victims tried to withdraw money reflecting in their online wallets, the transactions would be declined citing various random reasons and asking for depositing more money as a refundable withdrawal fee. Even after some victims deposited such fees, the withdrawals could not be made, and the WhatsApp agents would stop communicating.

The main masterminds of the scam operated the bank accounts sitting in the UAE and had already collected a large number of bank account kits containing internet banking credentials, debit cards, and chequebooks with related SIM cards sourced from several middlemen who got the bank accounts opened in the names of shell entities using fake/forged documents or obtained such kits for commission.

ED's investigation revealed that the scamsters collected more than Rs. 524 Crore in more than 175 bank accounts, used only for a brief period ranging from 1-15 days, and the money would be regularly diverted to other accounts. Money trailing revealed that the scam money collected in these 175 bank accounts was transferred to more than 480 bank accounts and used mainly for purchasing cryptocurrencies, making hawala payments in India, and remitting abroad in the guise of import payments.

Further investigation is underway.