Instagram WFH job Ad turns out to be Crypto scam; Delhi police nabs Punjab Man- How the fraud unfolded News24 –

The Delhi Police Cyber Crime team on Sunday arrested a man from Punjab after busting a crypto fraud racket that duped people by offering work-from-home opportunities. The accused, identified as Sukhpreet Singh (25), a resident of Agwar Pona in Jagraon, Ludhiana, was found to be operating as part of a Telegram-based crypto scam network.

According to Delhi Police, a case was registered on October 5 under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Cyber Police Station in Shahdara, based on a complaint filed by a resident of Vishvkarma Nagar, Shahdara.

How the fraud unfolded?

The complainant, Sangam Yadav, stated that he came across an Instagram advertisement promoting a work-from-home opportunity. Upon clicking the link, he was redirected to a Telegram group where a woman, posing as a company employee, offered him paid online tasks. Initially, Yadav received small payments for completing basic rating assignments, which helped build trust.

However, he was eventually tricked into depositing a total of Rs 55,100 through UPI transactions. When he attempted to withdraw his earnings, he was asked to pay additional charges, prompting him to realise he had been scammed.

During the investigation, Delhi police traced the money trail and found that Rs 29,500 of the defrauded amount had been used in a transaction at a petrol pump in Jagraon, Ludhiana. Based on mobile location data, police apprehended and interrogated individual identified as Sukhpreet Singh. Singh then revealed that he was an active member of a Telegram group where he traded in USDT, a form of cryptocurrency.

Police added that the accused had purchased USDT at market prices between Rs 94 and Rs 98 and sold it within the group at Rs 105 per USDT. Knowing that the INR he received was connected to cybercrime proceeds, Singh used multiple accounts to withdraw cash or exchange money at petrol pumps to avoid detection.

Delhi police nabs Punjab Man

Three mobile phones, six SIM cards, and twelve ATM cards have been seized from his possession. The accused has been sent to judicial custody and further investigation into the case is underway.