Cybercons using popular apps to dupe job seekers

Lucknow: Probe by Lucknow police and STF has revealed that fraudsters use social media, particularly Telegram, to dupe job seekers by promising to provide question papers of entrance examinations.

The number of such frauds has gone up in the city.As per police records, since Oct 2024, there were 15 such `fake paper leaks’ in Lucknow in which hundreds of aspirants were duped. Police have lodged FIRs in all the 15 cases, but only six arrests have been made in four cases so far. Others remain untraceable.In most cases, fraudsters circulated fake question papers, promising them to be `real’, created Telegram channels with names based on the entrance test (example: home guard easy launch or SI paper out) and posted messages that anybody wanting the question paper can get it by paying a certain amount, said a senior officer of UP STF.Interested candidates are asked to deposit money in a `mule’ account or pay through UPI. The rates are between Rs 2,000-10,000 via UPI. Victims typically receive outdated papers or nothing at all, and they discover this only after appearing in exams. And, by then, the fraudsters withdraw money and disappear, he explained.“Telegram has become a favourite of these fraudsters because the sender of the message or administrator of a channel cannot be traced back in this social app due to its security features.

It allows users to interact through usernames without publicly displaying their phone numbers and can have thousands or even millions of subscribers. So, it becomes a source of easy money without any risk,” said a senior STF official.In the four cases cracked so far, cops have been able to trace the culprits because they transferred the money from the mule account to their own.In April, Lucknow Police arrested Delhi resident Prakash Mishra for allegedly running a Telegram channel, “Exam Paper Wallah,” and earning nearly Rs 5 lakh by duping candidates.Earlier this month, UP STF arrested Bihar-based Om Kumar, accused of running an inter-state app network active since 2022, targeting aspirants across UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh through various channels.Regarding victims, experts point to systemic pressures. “Students easily fall into the trap because of desperation to get a job,” said Vishakha Sharma, Lucknow-based clinical psychologist. Instances like the NEET paper leak add to their belief that papers are leaked and can be acquired by paying money, she added.Former IPS officer and cyber expert Triveni Singh said the misuse is systematic. “Telegram is misused by fraudsters because if a channel is reported or shut down in it, culprits can quickly create a new channel and redirect followers through invite links. The app also supports bots that can automatically handle enquiries, collect payments, distribute files and manage subscribers.”