Due to the corona crisis many people have lost their jobs and desperately looking for a new job to survive. This gave an opportunity to cyber criminals to trap such needy people. Cyber fraudsters are exploiting such scenario and are very active on social media these days with attractive ‘Earn From Home’ offers. This article will explain the modus oprendi of the criminals and protection mantra from this scam.

Contributed By:

• Nikhil, DAV Public School, New Delhi
• Mallika Srivastav, DAV Public School Jasola Vihar
• Ankita, R. R. Gita Bal Bharti Public School, New Delhi
• Rashi Gupta, DAV Public School, Jasola Vihar, New Delhi
• Apeksha Maurya, DAV Public School, Jasola Vihar, New Delhi
• Shruti Kumari, DAV public School Jasola Vihar New Delhi

Introduction:

Adverse effect on economy due to COVID- 19 pandemic has resulted in a big employment issue across the world. Many people have lost their jobs suddenly and have fallen into big financial crisis.
Such disparate people on are disparately searching Internet these days to look for an opportunity to earn. Avoiding immediate financial crisis is the biggest problem with them. What can be better time for the fraudsters to through the baits of ‘Earn from Home’ offers?

Some Advertisements on Social Media:

Modus Operandi of Fraudsters

• Most of the cyber fraudsters create fake WhatsApp or Instagram groups and circulate the link of the group to the people who are looking for a job and urge them to join the group.
• Once the needy joins the group, he may get many options to work from home and earn.
• These options may include stock market trading, bit coin trading, translation work from one language to other or even a job suited to the qualification of the person.
• In such WhatsApp or Telegram group, there are many of the accomplices of the fraudster who keep posting messages on how they are earning so well. This is basically to instill confidence in the victim. In many cased fake interviews are conducted or some video of how others earned from the scheme is shown.
• Once the victim’s mind gets conditioned, the next aim of the fraudster is to obtain the personal or banking information of the victim. This is easy to convince because the victim has to receive the earnings in his/her account.
• Now the victim is asked to pay some processing fee for activating the payment. Once done, the fraudster either disappears or again makes some other demand on the name of custom fee or tax (TDS) on earnings etc.
• The victim, however, keeps waiting for the earnings to come.

How to spot the scam signs?

• If you see an advertisement on social media about Earn from Home offer, ask for the details there itself in public. If the advertiser is unwilling to respond to details in public and insists you to join the WhatsApp group for getting the details, quite likely it is a scam.
• If at any point of time you are asked to pay any fee prior to receiving the earnings, it is most likely a scam.

Protection Mantra

• Before joining such groups, ask for the details of the scheme, website or the credentials of the advertiser.
• Don’t believe in the comments of others in the group who claim to have earned from the scheme.
• Do Google Search on given details to see is there are any known or reported information about the scam.
• Spend some time to visit the website of advertisers to understand their business and credibility.
• Don’t pay processing or any other fee. If insisted, quit the group and block it.

Conclusion:

People are very concerned about their livelihood in this pandemic as job losses have created huge financial crisis for them. Cyber criminals are taking full advantage of this situation and are finding new ways to dupe the innocent people. It is essential that we are aware of their tricks and protection mantra to avoid getting trapped.

Weseso is a non-profit organization which works for cyber safety of the society with students as agents of change.

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