Woman applied for a job through Instagram, but lost Rs 5 lakh from her bank account: here's what happened

Social media platforms nowadays are not just limited to sharing photos or messages with friends and family. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even WhatsApp are now becoming virtual hubs to connect, a platform for marketing, reaching out to businesses and even offering places to find jobs and connect to eligible hires. However, with wider reach, the digital space is also making people vulnerable to cyber crimes. A small negligence can lead to financial loss or identity theft. And the fact that one can not see who is on the other side of the screen makes things more alarming. In a recent case of cyber fraud, a woman from Mumbai was duped for Rs 5 lakh on the pretext of a job.

A 26-year-old woman from Thane, Maharashtra lost Rs 5 lakh to an unidentified online fraudster whom she connected through Instagram. According to PTI, the woman was scrolling through Instagram when she saw a job advertisement on her Instagram page. To find out more about the opening, the woman clicked on the job advertisement which landed her on a website. The website further directed her to initiate some payment in order to get the job.

Following the instructions, the woman filled out the details and even made payment through the website. The report suggests that the woman made a total payment of Rs 5,38,173 over the next six days.

However, after following all the instructions and filling out the details for the job, she tried to contact the job provider. But to her horror, she received no response. She was unable to contact the number provided to her and later realised she had been cheated on. Later, she filed a complaint about cyber fraud at the Chitalsar police station and a case was registered under IPC section 420 (cheating) and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

While the case is under investigation, it is worth noticing how Cyberpunks are finding new ways to steal money. However, it's the responsibility of people to be aware of social media platforms.

Here are some ways through which you can spot if a job posting on social media is real or fake.

How to be safe from job scams on social media

• Read the job description- There are some depicted social media platforms to search for jobs like LinkedIn and Glassdoor. However, people also post openings on Facebook and Instagram to reach out to a wider audience. To check if the job is fake or real read the description of the job. Sometimes, scammers try to lure people by clickbait job titles and salary but don't write a job description or description that is not relevant to the posted job title.
• Search for the company's name online- As even if the job description reveals details about the company or cites a link to the company's career page, it can be a phishing link. Scammers these days try to make everything look true. So always try to search and double-check.
• Check URL- Often scammers duplicate the names and websites of big companies. The landing page almost looks like a real website. However, you can check for authenticity by reading the web URL. Also, analyse the website content and look for errors like grammatical mistakes.
• Never click on prompt ads or links you received from unknown or untrusted sources.
• Stay away from job titles which ask for money in return for job assurance.