An advertisement on Facebook promising easy work from home has proved harmless for a 55-year-old woman from Udayavara, Udupi. Lured by a simple earning opportunity, the woman lost over Rs 31 lakh, making her the latest victim of the growing epidemic of cyber fraud in India.

According to her police complaint, the victim’s troubles began on November 29 when she saw a Facebook post that claimed she could “work and earn online from home”, reports Deccan Herald. After interacting with the ad, she soon received a WhatsApp message from a person who identified himself as an HR executive from “NSE Corporate Office”. The conversation then shifted to WhatsApp and Telegram, where she was asked to fill out forms and complete simple online “tasks.”

To gain her trust, the scammers allegedly sent her small reward payments for each task she completed. These initial payments helped the scammers build trust. Reassured by these initial earnings, the victim continued participating in the tasks, believing she had found a part-time online job.

The scam reportedly escalated on December 1, when the victim was linked to a Telegram account named Bir Kavish and later linked to another account named Guha Anusuya. This time, she was told that she could significantly increase her income by investing in special “earnings options”. The fraudsters promised 30-40 percent returns on investments of Rs 1,000, Rs 3,000 or Rs 5,000, claiming that the scheme was part of the same job programme.

Encouraged by past payments from the alleged part-time job, the victim fell into the trap. He first transferred Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 using the QR code. After these initial so-called investments, they immediately received Rs 3,900 in return, further strengthening their belief that the opportunity was legitimate. Trusting the process, he continued sending large amounts as instructed and ultimately transferred a total of Rs 31,00,067.

But once large transactions were made, the scammers stopped all communication. No further payment arrived, and his calls and messages remained unanswered. Only then did he realize that he had been cheated.

After realizing the scam, she contacted the police and lodged a complaint against unknown persons. A case has been registered under section 318(4) of the Indian Code of Justice (BNS) as well as sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act. Investigation is ongoing.

And this is not an isolated case of people losing money due to promises of work from home opportunities and investments. Authorities have repeatedly warned to be cautious about responding to job offers or investment schemes circulated on social media and messaging platforms. Such scams often start with small, quick payments to build trust before convincing victims to transfer larger sums of money. It is important for Internet users to verify any opportunities, avoid unsolicited investment requests, and immediately report suspicious activity to prevent similar incidents.