Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Police on Thursday urged the public to be cautious against falling in the trap of scammers who promise high-income work-from-home online jobs and big returns on investment through a fake app called NTL.
Giving details of their modus operandi, police said that platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram are used for the scam by spreading fake advertisements to lure people.
Those who approach the scammers after being attracted by the fake advertisements are strategically made to download the NTL app and register on it.
Subsequently, the person is introduced to tasks and commissions in the name of various online jobs and investment schemes, police said.
Those who are attracted by this and invest a small amount are falsely shown as receiving a commission, and in some cases, investors are allowed to withdraw a small amount -- all of this is a strategy to gain their trust, it said.
After gaining their trust, they are persuaded to invest larger amounts for higher profits, and when they try to withdraw the money, the process is delayed, citing reasons like pending for review, processing, holiday, etc., police said.
In some cases, more money is demanded in the name of additional fees, taxes, verification fees, etc., to withdraw the amount.
After some time, the app stops working, or the account is blocked, police said.
It warned the public to be strictly vigilant against this type of investment fraud and not to trust apps or investment schemes that promise high profits.
The police also advised against downloading apps through links obtained from social media.
It further said that if someone decides to invest this way, they should first ensure the credibility of the institution and secondly, they should not invest large amounts on receiving a small commission initially.
"Be careful of apps that promise more profits, referral commission, or seek an advance payment to withdraw the investment profits. Do not share your personal information, bank details, OTP, or UPI PIN with anyone. Also, do not encourage your acquaintances, relatives, etc. to join such apps," police said.
It said that victims of this type of online fraud should immediately contact the cyber helpline number 1930 or the cyber crime reporting portal www.cybercrime.gov.in.