Today, many things can be done online with just a few clicks, thanks to modern technology. When it comes to buying or selling products, many people prefer to do it online. Modern technology offers many benefits, but it also has many drawbacks. A tidal wave of online frauds is taking place, and fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated.
In the case below hundreds of unemployed people may have been duped by the gang through the fake website. Other suspects were being questioned in relation to the fraud.
The fake UPSESSB website fraud
Earlier this year, officers at the Cyber Crime Police Station busted a gang involved in deceiving unemployed youths by posing as UPSESSB recruiters and using bogus websites.
Hundreds of unemployed people may have been duped through the fake UPSESSB website. Others are being questioned in connection with the fraud.
The IG, range, KP Singh, reported that the Cyber Police Station received information about a website www.upsssb.org that was similar to the UPSESSB website www.upsessb.org. The site was being used by some individuals to dupe people, according to investigations. Rajeev Kumar Tiwari, who is the station head of the Cyber Crime Police Station, and his team were able to trace the culprits and arrest two members of the gang on Monday. They were identified as Sachin Kumar aka Lalit from Etah district and Sahil Srivastava from Sultanpur district.
On the pretext of providing jobs, the accused had previously built a website in the name of Child Research Development Organization and duped people out of *50 lakh. Since no police complaint was filed, the accused was encouraged to create another fake UPSESSB website.
The leader of the gang, Sakin, did not communicate with people directly and instead used conference calls. He used the VPN option in his mobile device to connect to the internet to avoid being traced by the police so that he could receive payments from people on the account of his girlfriend. Additionally, he used the email address and name of another person to create the website.
The accused was found in possession of two laptop computers, seven mobile phones, one tablet, WiFi calling phone, two pen drives, a WiFi Airtel Extreme Modem, nine ATM cards, two passbooks, two cheque books, one passport, and evidence related to the fake website and application forms for 567 students. In total, 2.17 lakh rupees worth of cash was seized by cybercrime cops, the IG stated.
How to avoid online job fraud:
1. Look closely at the website's contact information. False websites usually do not include their contact information.
2. It is necessary that the URL of a website begin with HTTPS. This indicates that the website is secure and that your payments will be secure.
3. If an unknown company is offering offers that seem too good to be true, you should investigate as it could be a scam.
4. Cybercriminals send phishing emails that appear to be from legitimate companies. You should be very careful when clicking unfamiliar links in emails luring you with attractive offers, as this could expose you to malware or identity theft. Be cautious when clicking ads on social media.
5. If a lot of negative reviews have been written against a company, there is a good chance that it is fake.
6. It is recommended that digital escrow platforms be used for payment. When making an online payment with Escrow, you do not share your financial information with anyone. There is a platform for escrow called Vouch.
How does digital escrow work?
In digital escrow, a third-party account holds the money deposited by the buyer until the seller has fulfilled the terms of the contract. The escrow company supervises the transacting parties.
What is the role of Digital Escrow in preventing online fraud in India?
Digital escrow services are offered by many companies in India. Among the most trusted is Vouch.
Vouch’s Digital Escrow service is a transparent way for buyers and sellers to build trust and secure a clean transfer of product and payment. Sellers can feel assured that they will be fairly compensated promptly, and buyers will feel confident that their order will be delivered as expected and on schedule. Vouch Digital Escrow keeps you updated and informed at every step of the transaction process till the end. Vouch’s professionals are always available to assist you with all queries that you may have during the entire transaction process.
There is no scope for deceit or fraud since the payments, shipping, delivery, and execution are carried out under the honest and watchful eyes of the Vouch’s professionals. With Vouch, any business transaction becomes transparent, uncomplicated, and hassle-free. If you ever come across a fraudster asking for OTP, asking you to scan a QR code, or asking you to click on phishing links, you can simply refuse and ask him/her to proceed with the transaction through Vouch.
This is Fraud Story #162. Check back here for more fraud stories and scams that you can protect yourself from.
Safety is not just about protecting your credit, debit card number, and UPI accounts. It's about having control of your money till you've received the product or service you bought online!
Note: This is a good-faith initiative to educate the world about avoiding frauds like these and how to act when you're becoming a victim of such a situation.
Do you have a fraud you would like to report? Please write to us at letstalk@iamvouched.com
