Online fraud: Man duped of Rs 49.33 lakh on lure of job in UK

Bhopal: A Koh-e-Fiza-based man was allegedly duped of approximately Rs 49.33 lakh by online fraudsters on the pretext of a lucrative job in a UK-based company. Acting on the complaint, the cyber-crime branch on Monday registered a case and started investigations. The complaint was filed with the police on July 6.According to the complaint, Salim Khan (name changed), a resident of the Koh-e-Fiza area, cleared the IELTS English language proficiency test in January 2024 to pursue employment opportunities abroad. On April 2, 2024, he received a message on LinkedIn from a profile, purportedly representing a company called SuperMart, regarding a job opportunity in the United Kingdom for a store manager position. The message claimed the company was seeking a candidate from South Asia.Following this, Khan sent his resume to the given email address and was subsequently contacted via WhatsApp from two UK-based numbers. During this communication, a woman named Alice Brown conducted a telephonic interview and later sent a job contract.Brown assured Khan that any payments made to the embassy for visa processing would be reimbursed by the company. Soon after, Khan was contacted by a woman named Jyoti Sharma, who claimed to be an official from the British Embassy in Delhi, using a mobile number. Sharma requested Rs 55,496 for initial visa processing fees, which Khan transferred to a bank account.Over the following weeks, Sharma and another individual, James Collins, who claimed to be a senior diplomat, demanded several additional payments for various processing fees, including work permit fees, health insurance, TOEFL tests, police clearance certificates, passport renewal, and personal travel allowances. The payments were made to various bank accounts, totalling Rs 49.33 lakh.In a series of communications, Khan was further instructed to send his and his wife's original passports via post to a provided address. On May 3, 2024, he received a police verification document through WhatsApp, allegedly from the Additional Police Commissioner, Special Branch, CID, Mumbai, along with an affidavit form for passport renewal. Subsequently, a demand for another sum was made for a verification letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, which Khan also paid.By May 15, 2024, further requests were made for fees related to the apostille process, bringing the total amount paid by Khan to Rs 49.33 lakh. On May 25, 2024, the alleged company communicated that the reimbursement process had begun and promised a refund, including a six-month advance allowance. Khan was informed that a salary account had been opened in his name at a bank in the UK, and he received an email from an address resembling that of the bank.However, when an additional demand for Rs 26.49 lakh was made to complete the visa process, Khan realised he had been duped. He immediately approached the cyber-crime branch in Bhopal to file a complaint.The cyber-crime branch has registered a case and initiated a thorough investigation to identify and arrest the fraudsters behind this elaborate scam. Bhopal: A Koh-e-Fiza-based man was allegedly duped of approximately Rs 49.33 lakh by online fraudsters on the pretext of a lucrative job in a UK-based company. Acting on the complaint, the cyber-crime branch on Monday registered a case and started investigations. The complaint was filed with the police on July 6.According to the complaint, Salim Khan (name changed), a resident of the Koh-e-Fiza area, cleared the IELTS English language proficiency test in January 2024 to pursue employment opportunities abroad. On April 2, 2024, he received a message on LinkedIn from a profile, purportedly representing a company called SuperMart, regarding a job opportunity in the United Kingdom for a store manager position. The message claimed the company was seeking a candidate from South Asia.Following this, Khan sent his resume to the given email address and was subsequently contacted via WhatsApp from two UK-based numbers. During this communication, a woman named Alice Brown conducted a telephonic interview and later sent a job contract.Brown assured Khan that any payments made to the embassy for visa processing would be reimbursed by the company. Soon after, Khan was contacted by a woman named Jyoti Sharma, who claimed to be an official from the British Embassy in Delhi, using a mobile number. Sharma requested Rs 55,496 for initial visa processing fees, which Khan transferred to a bank account.Over the following weeks, Sharma and another individual, James Collins, who claimed to be a senior diplomat, demanded several additional payments for various processing fees, including work permit fees, health insurance, TOEFL tests, police clearance certificates, passport renewal, and personal travel allowances. The payments were made to various bank accounts, totalling Rs 49.33 lakh.In a series of communications, Khan was further instructed to send his and his wife's original passports via post to a provided address. On May 3, 2024, he received a police verification document through WhatsApp, allegedly from the Additional Police Commissioner, Special Branch, CID, Mumbai, along with an affidavit form for passport renewal. Subsequently, a demand for another sum was made for a verification letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, which Khan also paid.By May 15, 2024, further requests were made for fees related to the apostille process, bringing the total amount paid by Khan to Rs 49.33 lakh. On May 25, 2024, the alleged company communicated that the reimbursement process had begun and promised a refund, including a six-month advance allowance. Khan was informed that a salary account had been opened in his name at a bank in the UK, and he received an email from an address resembling that of the bank.However, when an additional demand for Rs 26.49 lakh was made to complete the visa process, Khan realised he had been duped. He immediately approached the cyber-crime branch in Bhopal to file a complaint.The cyber-crime branch has registered a case and initiated a thorough investigation to identify and arrest the fraudsters behind this elaborate scam.