Man is offered cash for merely liking YouTube videos, duped of Rs 8 lakh

Lured by the opportunity to make money merely liking YouTube videos a 38yearold Andheri East resident has allegedly lost over Rs 8 lakhThe complainant who was conned by an unknown scamster received a text message on February 3 asking him like a video and stating he would be paid Rs 50 in return Later he was asked to install Telegram Messenger He was then added to a group and was told to share the screenshot of the liked video in the groupAs per the complainantrsquos statement to the police there were more than 50 members in that group and all had international numbers except one individual The scamster would share videos in the group and its members after liking them would share screenshotsThe complainant told midday ldquoI later received an international call and was asked to provide my bank details to claim my earnings I shared my wifersquos bank account number When I tried to withdraw the money I was asked to register myself on lsquocryptoyptocomrsquo and on doing so I was tasked with investing Rs 1000 in order to withdraw moneyrdquoAlso Read Gokhale Road bridge BMC WR work out differences over slow progressHe added ldquoThe amount I had invested and my lsquoprofitsrsquo were displayed on the website Not suspecting anything I invested Rs 3000 and Rs 5000 The next day when I tried to withdraw the money they told me I could withdraw only 30 per cent of the profit amount and I was tasked with investing Rs 7000rdquoWhen the complainant tried to get hold of his earnings later he was tasked with investing Rs 50000 ldquoIn this way I fell into their trap and ultimately lost around Rs 807000 lakh Of the transferred amount Rs 65 lakh had been obtained via a loanrdquo he saidldquoWhen I checked the group on February 5 I came to know that I had to invest Rs 12 lakh if I wanted to get back my money I felt cheated and complained in this regard to the MIDC police on Mondayrdquo he addedldquoNow that I think about it all the members were probably fake I was eventually removed from the group and approached the police station and registered a complaint I have come to know that a woman was victimised by the same gang and she has lost Rs 1 lakh in the similar wayrdquo he addedAccording to the police the accused dupes people by presenting the tantalising offer of earning money by liking various videos ldquoOur request to the people is not to entertain such messages Please do not fall into such traps and do not transfer any money to fraudstersrdquo said an officer of the MIDC police stationHe added ldquoOn the complaint of the victim we have registered the case under Sections 419 cheating by personation and 420 cheating of Indian Penal Code and Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act We have details such as those of the accounts to which the amount was transferred by the complainant We are writing to the banks in questionrdquo6Day in Feb when the case was registered