Salaries ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000 per month; criminals with job fraud through OLX

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Criminals have been involved in job fraud through OLX, the online platform that helps people buy and sell goods and services. OLX has job ads that promise salaries ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000 per month in leading companies in the country. A woman from Sreekaryam, Thiruvananthapuram, has been the victim of the fraud. The woman says that she has reported the information to the cyber helpline number but to no avail.

The woman with a BTech degree in Computer Science who was looking for an IT job came across an opportunity for an automotive-embedded job through OLX. The woman expressed her interest in the job through OLX. The person on the other end introduced himself as a career consultant associated with large companies. He asked for the woman's name and educational qualifications. The woman sent her resume through WhatsApp. Then he gave the names of the companies he was associated with through email. He suggested that there was a vacancy in a leading automotive company and that she should do a certification course to get the job.

The cost of the online class, including study materials, is Rs 12,000 and that of the offline class is Rs 15,000. To get the course documents and certificate, Rs 5,000 has to be paid in advance. When a screenshot of the Rs 5,000 payment was sent via WhatsApp, the course completion certificate was given to the woman without taking the course. The company said that an interview would be arranged through Zoom Meeting within three days. The interview was in English mixed with Tamil. When the woman, who was suspicious about receiving the certificate, inquired through the company's email ID, the company revealed that no such interview had been conducted. The fraudster had also asked for information such as PAN card, Aadhaar card, and UIN number to get the job.

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The woman had contacted the cyber police's 1930 number, which receives complaints. They said they would send a link to her phone to provide information, but the woman says she did not receive the link. She called later and was unable to get through.