Cheated of ₹1 Lakh in the Name of Overseas Job Opportunity
The Situation
I work as a chef at a hotel near Rohtak railway station. During my work there, I came in contact with a visiting chef who used to occasionally visit the hotel.
During one of our interactions, he told me that he could help arrange a job opportunity for me abroad. Since working overseas seemed like a promising opportunity, I trusted what he said.
Over time, he asked me to transfer money for arranging the job and completing related formalities. Believing his assurances, I transferred money to him through Google Pay in multiple installments.
In total, I transferred ₹1,00,000.
However, after receiving the money, the person stopped responding to my calls. The phone number through which we had been communicating also became unreachable.
It was then that I realized that I had likely been cheated and had become a victim of fraud.
The Challenge
After realizing that the person was no longer responding and the promised job arrangement had not materialized, I needed guidance on what steps I could take to report the fraud and seek action.
Since the payments had been made digitally through UPI and the person was no longer reachable, it was important to immediately report the matter to the authorities with proper documentation.
The Action Taken
To initiate the process, I was assisted to connect with the Rohtak Police Station through a conference call.
During the call, the police official advised that I should visit the police station with a written complaint detailing the incident, along with supporting documents such as transaction records and communication details.
In addition, I was guided to register the complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, since the payments were made through online transactions.
I was also provided with guidance on how to prepare the complaint and include relevant details such as the transaction history, phone numbers used for communication, and the sequence of events.
The Larger Issue
Frauds involving fake overseas job promises are becoming increasingly common. Individuals are often approached by people claiming to arrange jobs abroad and are asked to transfer money in installments for job processing, visas, or other documentation.
In many cases, once the payment is made, the individuals who made the promises stop responding.
Timely reporting to the police and cyber crime authorities is important so that appropriate action can be initiated and such fraudulent activities can be investigated.
