22-year-old Indian man loses ₹1.23 lakh to Instagram-WhatsApp job scam impersonating Meesho website

Summary

A 22-year-old man from Kadaba, India, lost ₹1.23 lakh to an online part-time job fraud. On May 4, he received a job offer link on Instagram, which redirected to WhatsApp and then to a website impersonating Meesho. He was asked to complete tasks and transfer money, initially Rs 100 via UPI, and later a total of ₹1.23 lakh in installments. Scammers claimed he would receive the money back plus commission after completing tasks. When he tried to withdraw earnings, he received a fake tax challan and realized he had been scammed. A case has been registered at CEN Station under various sections of the IT Act and BNS Act.