Bhopal homemaker loses ₹11L to work-from-home scam:Came across Instagram reel that promised money in return for easy tasks; FIR registered

A 25-year-old homemaker residing in the Kolar area of Bhopal fell victim to an online Work From Home scam after being lured by an Instagram reel promising easy income through online tasks, the city’s cyber cell officials reported on Tuesday. Seeking to earn extra money while managing her household, the complainant woman ended up losing ₹11.03 lakh to cyber-criminals within a week. Woman was asked to complete online tasks Bhopal cyber cell ACP Sujeet Tiwari told Bhaskar English that the woman, named Deepa Tilwani, was initially asked to complete simple online tasks that instantly credited small rewards; ₹200 per task, into her bank account, convincing her of the scheme’s authenticity. Encouraged by quick profits, she began investing larger sums, hoping to multiply her income. However, when her deposits stopped reflecting in her account, she realised she had been duped. A case has been registered at the Bhopal district cyber-crime cell, and the police are tracing the accused through the bank accounts used for transactions. Lured through Instagram Reel, Telegram channels According to the investigating police officials, Deepa previously worked at a corporate firm but had recently taken a break to focus on her family. While scrolling through Instagram reels, she came across a Work From Home advertisement. After clicking the link, she was redirected to a website that shared a phone number. Upon contacting it, she was added to multiple Telegram groups, where other users claimed to be earning thousands by completing easy online tasks. Small rewards lead to big loss Deepa downloaded a task-based app, deposited ₹1,100 as a start-up amount, and earned ₹200 instantly. Excited by the quick return, she completed more tasks, each showing small profits. But soon, a task “failed,” and she was told to deposit more money to unlock the next level. This pattern continued, with her being asked to transfer increasing amounts, first ₹7,000, then several lakhs, on the pretext of retrieving her “stuck” balance. Over seven days, she transferred ₹11.03 lakh in total to the scammers. After realising that she had been deceived, she reported the incident to the cyber cops. Addnl DCP issues warning Additional DCP (Bhopal Crime Branch), Shailendra Singh Chauhan said that such “task job frauds” are becoming increasingly common. He urged citizens not to fall for online job offers that demand upfront payments, emphasising that cyber awareness is the best safeguard against such scams.