Part-time job fraud case: ED raids 12 companies involving Chinese apps and one individual | File Picture
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday it had raided 12 entities and seized Rs 5.85 crore in a part-time employment fraud case involving Chinese people and apps .
The executing agency researched 12 companies located in Bangalore. The ED said it has so far seized Rs 5.85 crore under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA).
PMLA’s investigation revealed that gullible citizens, mostly young people, were deceived by some Chinese through a mobile application, namely “Keepsharer”, which promised them to give part-time jobs and collect money. money from them.
These Chinese people formed companies in India and recruited many Indians as managers, translators (to translate Mandarin to English and vice versa), HR managers and telephone callers, according to an official statement released by ED. .
They obtained the documents from the Indians and opened bank accounts using their documents. The Chinese defendants developed a mobile application by the name of “Keepsharer” and began advertising it via WhatsApp and Telegram by offering part-time job opportunities to young people.
This application was linked to an investment application. For registration on this application, they collected money from young people. Moreover, they have collected money from the public also in the name of investment through this app. Young people were given the task of liking celebrity videos and uploading them to social media.
After the task is completed, they would pay Rs 20 per video and this will be credited to the “Keepsharer” wallet. For a while, the money was credited to their wallet, and later the app was removed from the Play Store.
Thus, the public has been deceived with the amount of their investment and the remuneration to be paid which amounts to millions of rupees, said the Enforcement Directorate.
The money collected through the scam was funneled from the bank accounts of some Bengaluru-based companies and then converted into cryptocurrency and transferred to China-based Crypto exchanges.
All transactions were under the control of Chinese people by phone and WhatsApp groups. According to the indictment filed by the police, out of 92 defendants, six are Chinese and Taiwanese citizens who controlled the whole scam. Further investigation into this is ongoing, the ED said.
ED initiated a money laundering investigation based on an FIR registered at South CEN Police Station, Bengaluru City, in a case related to part-time employment fraud.
