Another Scam! Mumbai Woman Loses ?3.47 Lakh In Fake Netflix Job Offer On Instagram

At a time when job scams have become a constant headache for the common man, another case has come to light.

Mumbai Woman Loses ?3.47 Lakh In Fake Job Offer On Instagram

A job aspirant in Mumbai has fallen victim to a job scam through Instagram, thinking she would secure a job at Netflix. The Mumbai woman has ended up losing ?3.47 lakh. The scam took place under the guise of providing her with a job opportunity at the popular streaming platform.

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How The Scam Happened

The victim, Mihika Ghiyani, had stumbled upon an Instagram page last month, i.e., in April, that claimed Netflix was hiring. Excited about the prospect, she contacted the provided number, unwittingly opening the doors to a well-planned fraud, as per the Moneycontrol report. The person who answered the call introduced himself as Tarun Taneja, the "executive HR" of Netflix, and enticed Ghiyani by offering her a daily salary of ?4,500.

Exploiting Ghiyani's trust and hopes of getting a job, Taneja cunningly requested payment for a "cine card" to facilitate the hiring process. Obligingly, Ghiyani transferred ?849 as instructed. At this point, Taneja redirected her to someone else, who claimed she needed to pay ?4,500 as a "security step," ensuring her that the amount would be refunded.

The fraudsters continued their plan, extracting funds from Ghiyani under various pretexts, while always assuring her of reimbursement. It was only after she had cumulatively transferred a mammoth sum of ?3.47 lakh and received no refund that the victim realised she had been duped. As expected, the fraudsters promptly vanished, switching off their phones and possibly hiding behind stolen identities.

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As per the report, a first information report (FIR) has been lodged against the culprits in Kandivali¡¯s Samta Nagar police station since last week, and further investigation is underway.

Also Read; Why Netflix Once Rejected Amazon's $15 Million Offer To Buy The Streaming Giant

Rising Threat Of Job Scams

This case highlights the growing prevalence of online scams targeting unsuspecting job seekers through various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and even WhatsApp. According to the Cyber Crime Cell under the Crime Branch of the Mumbai police, fraudulent activities, particularly those related to banks and online commerce platforms, have reportedly become distressingly common.

Fraudsters, disguising themselves as bank or platform officials, employ numerous tactics to gain access to people's confidential details, such as bank accounts and cards. Strategies adopted by scammers include convincing victims to share one-time passwords (OTP), update KYC information, or click on malicious links.

Also Read: Squid Game - Personal Finance Lessons From The Netflix Series

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