A Hyderabad-based homemaker was duped off over ₹1.35 lakh in a part-time job scam involving hotel reviews on Google Maps. The 33-year-old woman received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number claiming to represent the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), offering a work-from-home opportunity. The job, she was told, involved posting five-star reviews for hotels online in exchange for daily payments ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹8,000, depending on the number of tasks completed.
After she agreed to participate, the scammers asked her to complete a review task and send a screenshot as proof. Shortly after, she received a payment of ₹203 as commission. Encouraged by the initial payout, she was persuaded to continue completing more review tasks and was later asked to make deposits for so-called ‘prepayment tasks’ in order to unlock higher commissions.
To lend credibility to the scheme, the fraudsters added her to a group labelled ‘VIP’ on a messaging platform, where members shared screenshots of high earnings. Believing the job was genuine, she followed instructions to transfer money to multiple bank accounts provided by the scammers.
Over time, the victim became so absorbed in the process that she continued performing the tasks, convinced she would be compensated. She not only exhausted her savings but also borrowed money from family members to continue participating. By the time she realised it was a scam, she had lost over ₹1.35 lakh.
Following her complaint, the cybercrimes wing of the Hyderabad police booked a case and initiated an investigation.
Published – April 15, 2025 07:25 pm IST
