In a distressing incident, a job seeker in Mumbai became the target of an intricate scam, falling victim to a substantial loss of Rs 3.47 lakh while believing she had secured a job at Netflix. The entire deception unfolded through an Instagram page that falsely advertised job opportunities at the popular streaming platform.
The victim, Mihika Ghiyani, stumbled upon the deceptive Instagram page in April, which claimed to represent Netflix’s recruitment process. Filled with excitement, she reached out to the provided contact number, unknowingly stepping into a meticulously orchestrated fraud. The person on the other end of the line identified himself as Tarun Taneja, posing as the ‘executive HR’ of Netflix, and lured Ghiyani with an enticing offer of a daily salary of Rs 4,500.
Exploiting Ghiyani’s trust, Taneja craftily requested payment for a supposed ‘cine card’ that was supposedly necessary for the hiring procedure. Oblivious to the deceit, Ghiyani complied and transferred Rs 849 as instructed. At this point, Taneja redirected her to another individual, who claimed that she needed to pay Rs 4,500 as a ‘security step’, assuring her that the amount would be refunded later.
The fraudsters methodically continued their elaborate scheme, extracting funds from Ghiyani under various false pretences and always promising her reimbursement. It was only after she had transferred a total of Rs 3.47 lakh and received no refund that the victim realised she had been tricked. The scammers promptly vanished, disconnecting their phones and potentially hiding behind stolen identities.
