Mumbai: Ghatkopar woman facilitated money transfers for Dubai handlers, arrested

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A 36-year-old female graduate from Ghatkopar was arrested by the West Region Maharashtra Cyber Police in connection with a "like and earn" fraud, also known as task fraud. The police said that the accused Disha Yadav played a key role in facilitating financial transactions for Dubai-based handlers, providing Indian accounts for transferring fraudulent amounts, which were then withdrawn at various locations with the assistance of other previously arrested associates.

According to the West Region Cyber Cell, Disha was arrested in the case and was found to be in direct contact with handlers of the "like and earn" scam operating from Dubai. "In each case, we've discovered a direct connection to Dubai-based handlers who orchestrated the scam. Victims were enticed with schemes, where they were asked to like and review certain things on social media in exchange for money. Subsequently, the scammers would persuade them to invest more money for higher returns, but ultimately, they would lose all their funds after receiving only a few hundred bucks in their accounts," said an officer.

According to the cyber cell, the victim was defrauded of Rs 1.5 crore within a few months. "During our investigation, we uncovered multiple accounts used to transfer the fraudulent funds, with some linked to the woman arrested in the case. She is professionally qualified with a degree in finance and has been involved in this scam for the past few months, earning lakhs on a commission basis by providing unused account details to the Dubai handlers," the official added.

The cyber cell has thus far apprehended four suspects in the case, including this woman, and discovered their involvement in several other instances of task fraud. They have been arrested in at least three cases where victims lost lakhs of rupees. The modus operandi involved enticing victims with part-time job offers to like, comment, and review certain content on social media and Google. Initially, victims received R150 for liking an image, which escalated to thousands before cybercriminals persuaded them to invest and double their amount.

"Hundreds of cases related to task fraud have been reported, and we have apprehended several individuals facilitating banking accounts for Dubai-based handlers. Our teams are collaborating with government channels and relevant stakeholders to ensure that authorities in Dubai take action against these cybercriminals operating from there," said a senior officer of the Mumbai police.

Rs 1.5 cr
Amount victim was defrauded of