"It Was A Trap": Man Joins Interview Link For HR Round, Loses Rs 2.5 Lakh

India has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of cybercrime cases over the years. Job scams contribute to the highest number of cyber crimes reported in the country. Cybercriminals find innovative ways to scam people out of their hard-earned money. Security agencies keep coming up with new solutions to counter these scams, but there is a need to be aware of the methods they use to target innocent people. Recently, a user shared that as he was looking for a new job, he fell victim to fraud and lost $3,000 (approximately Rs 2.5 lakh) as a result.

Product designer Naved Alam shared his ordeal on X (formerly Twitter). He said that he wanted to share his story so that people are aware of such cyber frauds and not fall prey to these criminals. "Recently, I fell victim to a scam on Twitter and lost $3000.It started with a promising opportunity - @crankybugatti  on Twitter reached out to me regarding a design role in a company related to a web3 communication app called @SocialSpectra,"  the social media user said alongside screenshots of his conversation with a user about a prospective job opportunity.

Mr Alam said that the conversation moved from X to Discord where he was asked basic questions. "The conversation moved to Discord, where things seemed legitimate. Basic design questions were asked, and they even seemed impressed with my work. Then came the request for an HR call, and I was provided with a link to join. Little did I know, it was a trap," he said.

He continued, "I downloaded what I thought was an in-house communication app for the call. Instead, it was malware that drained my @phantom wallet and liquidated my staked assets on @KaminoFinance." 

The product designer said that "in a matter of moments", he lost the money to the cyber criminals. He wrote on X, "In a matter of moments, I lost $3000 to scammers who prey on unsuspecting individuals looking for legitimate opportunities. This experience has taught me to be more vigilant and cautious online. Always verify the authenticity of job offers and never download anything unless you're absolutely sure of its source."

Mr Alam also advised people to be careful as these cybercriminals are "targeting designers and developers or any working professional."

Since being shared, his post has amassed over a lakh views.

"Faced a similar scam lost all my assets. It's tough to move on and belief in crypto again," said a user.

"Lol this person is in my DMs right now as we speak," said another user.

Another wrote, "Iam sorry for you bro. I have encountered the same guy, the application got crashed on my pc so couldn't join the hr call,  he said it's my fault that  I didn't join call so have raise another ticket , have sensed something fishy there and immediately uninstalled it from my pc."

"Sadly I had a similar experience with them," commented a person.

A user added, "no matter how secure you make your tech. a human will always be the weakest link in the chain"

"This dude reached out to me too. I procrastinated when he redirected me to discord, and then forgot about it. Procrastination saved my assets. Sorry for your loss dude. Stay safe out there," said another X user