27-Year-Old Vegetable Vendor Turns Cyber-Thug, Earns Rs 21 Cr In Just Six Months

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New Delhi: A former vegetable vendor is making waves these days. The man is in headline from 2-3 days. Reason is! Read on to find out why a former vegetable vendor is making headlines. Actually, a former vegetable vendor named Rishabh Sharma, has been arrested by the Uttarakhand police.

The reason for the arrest is his involvement in a massive work-from-home job scam, amassing a staggering Rs 21 crore through fraudulent activities.

37 Fraud Cases

The 27-year-old was reportedly engaged in 37 cases of fraud registered across 10 Indian states, with connections to an additional 855 cases, as confirmed by Uttarakhand police officer Ankush Mishra.

How The Farmer Started Online Scams

According to Officer Mishra, Sharma's journey from selling vegetables in Faridabad to orchestrating elaborate online scams began when he encountered an old friend already operating in the realm of online frauds.

Following considerable financial setbacks during the pandemic, Sharma resorted to various work-from-home opportunities to support his family, ultimately leading him down a fraudulent path that culminated in a significant sum of Rs 21 crore within a mere six months.

The most recent victim, a Dehradun-based businessman, fell prey to Sharma's deceptive tactics, resulting in a loss of Rs 20 lakh. Sharma's modus operandi involved creating a fake website, "marriotwork.com," mimicking the appearance of the legitimate Marriot Bonvoy website, "marriot.com."

Under the guise of a work-from-home opportunity, he approached potential targets, offering part-time employment to write reviews for the Marriot Bonvoy group of hotels.

How Rishabh Sharma Scam Unveiled?

Narrating his ordeal, the businessman stated that the initial offer seemed authentic, prompting him to contact a person claiming to be Rishabh Sharma, a representative of Marriott Bonvoy.

Sharma then introduced him to a colleague named Sonia, supposedly associated with one of the hotels within the group. After an initial payment of Rs 10,000, the victim was misled into investing more substantial sums under the false promise of substantial returns, ultimately culminating in a loss of Rs 20 lakh.

The police have emphasized that the scammers employed a tactic of alluring unsuspecting individuals with promises of exorbitant profits, only to cease communication and disappear once significant investments were made.

With Rishabh Sharma now in police custody, authorities are urging individuals to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of any work-from-home offers to prevent falling victim to such fraudulent activities.