Army Veteran in Pune Duped of Rs 61 Lakh in Online Task Fraud

A 66-year-old Army veteran from Pune was cheated of Rs 61.33 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him with the promise of high returns through fake online tasks on a shopping website. The victim, who had retired from the Army Medical Corps, was targeted after accepting a friend request from a woman on Facebook.

According to the FIR registered at the Pune City cyber crime police station, the fraud took place between January and March this year. The woman, who claimed to be from Patna and a former student of a Patna medical college, gained the veteran’s trust during online chats by mentioning links to Pune.

She later contacted him via phone and introduced him to what she described as a “very good investment opportunity.” The woman asked for his personal details and claimed to have opened an account in his name. She then began assigning him simple online tasks like liking and sharing posts. In return, she sent fake screenshots showing large profits from these tasks.

For instance, when the veteran transferred Rs 5,695 to a bank account, he was shown a screenshot that falsely claimed he had earned Rs 23,216. Encouraged by these fake earnings, he continued transferring money, completing 18 transactions to bank accounts located in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Believing he had earned profits worth crores, the victim kept sending more money.

However, when he asked to withdraw his profits, the woman stopped responding. Realising he had been scammed, the veteran approached the police. The cyber crime police have registered a case and launched an investigation.

Police said that similar “task fraud” cases have been reported in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in recent years. In such scams, victims are first offered small payments for easy online tasks like liking videos or writing reviews. Once they gain the victim's trust, fraudsters demand money for so-called “prepaid tasks,” promising high returns which never materialize.

Authorities have urged citizens to be cautious and avoid sharing personal information or transferring money to unknown individuals online.