24 March,2009 08:16 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
It was only last week, after Dr Rajendra Gaikwad (35, name changed), an MBBS graduate from Thane, did not hear from the representative of the reputed UK hospital he had been interacting with for over three months, that he understood he had been cheated. He had been promised a salary 200 times his present income.u00a0u00a0
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"I believed the fraudsters because the offer came after I posted my resume online. The hospital web page looked genuine, and they even mailed visa forms along with other travel papers for processing. However, after I deposited Rs 2 lakh of borrowed money into the agent's account, they abruptly snapped all communication," said Gaikwad.u00a0
Gaikwad's case is one among the many related to online fraud that are fielded by the Mumbai police on a daily basis. The Cyber Cell of the Mumbai police receives over 300 mails and around 100 phone calls on an average per month intimating them of online fraud schemes that target aspiring airhostesses, doctors, hotel management graduates and engineers in particular.
Cyber security expert Vijay Mukhi said, "With the ongoing economic downturn, such rackets are on the rise. One needs to be extra cautious."
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Joint Commissioner (Crime) of Bangalore City, Alok Kumar informed MiD DAY that the local police has been asked to assist citizens who wish to ascertain if job offers made to them online are genuine. Pratap Reddy, director, cyber security, NASSCOM, headquartered in Mumbai, said, "Do not respond to unsolicited online job offers. Do not part with any money till you have authenticated the genuineness of the e-mail."
