Introduction

An engineering graduate youth seeking employment in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh has fallen prey to an online scam. The young man joined a Telegram group as part of his job search.

How does he lose his money?

The group has promised to make connections for job opportunities. Based on this, he lost Rs. 20 lakhs. a young man from Vijayawada, recently completed his engineering degree. He wanted to find employment in IT and software related fields. At this stage he joined the Telegram group called ‘Developer Professionals’.

He seems to have joined this group on the recommendation of his friend. In that group, many people have shared information about IT and software related job opportunities. He read one such message and contacted the person who posted it. At that time, the person said that he would get a job in a leading IT company in Bangalore and asked him to pay Rs 20 lakh in return.

Following this, he paid the entire amount demanded in July and August in installments. He then approached the concerned company and asked them to provide him with an appointment letter. But only then did he realize that he had been deceived. He then lodged a complaint at the police station, and the police registered a case in this regard and are investigating.

How to avoid scams?

This is not the first time that fraud has been committed by claiming to buy employment. We can follow the following tips to avoid such scams.

1. Always seek employment through the official websites and communication of the company. Keep in mind that fraudsters also create fake websites that look like the original.
2. Pay close attention to scammers’ promises of high starting pay, plenty of benefits, and immediate promotion.
3. No company asks employees to pay for employment. So, beware of those who ask for money for training or any other reason.
4. Be very careful while searching for jobs on social media.
5. Do not share personal information including bank account details, passport and Aadhaar until the job is confirmed for you.