In today’s society, various scam methods are constantly emerging, making it difficult for people to guard against. Recently, in Chhattisgarh, India, scam artists have employed a new tactic to deceive unsuspecting individuals. They set up a fake bank in a remote area and tricked job seekers into paying fees for job applications. However, after the scam was uncovered, several suspects had already escaped.
According to a report by the Indian Times, the incident took place last month in the small village of Chhapora in Chhattisgarh. The village is located in a remote area about 250 kilometers away from the city of Raipur in the state.
On September 18, a branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) suddenly appeared in Chhapora. It not only had the SBI logo but also had tellers and managers who appeared busy. The villagers did not suspect anything, and even the landlord who rented the office space to them was unaware that it was fake.
This fake branch advertised vacancies for positions such as manager, marketing personnel, sales representatives, tellers, and computer operators. Villagers who applied for these positions had to pay interview fees ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 Indian Rupees (approximately $2,379 to $5,947). They were also instructed to bring more people to apply.
Some villagers were hired as employees of the fake branch and even attended training courses. However, about a week into their jobs, they began to realize something was amiss as they had nothing to do all day.
Meanwhile, the manager of a nearby SBI branch heard about the new branch in Chhapora. He suspected it was fake and decided to investigate. Upon inspection, he found that the office computers had no work-related software, were not connected to any servers, the ledger had no entries, and the new employees appeared perplexed.
The manager reported the matter to the police, stating that he had not heard of SBI opening a branch in that area. His initial investigation revealed that it was indeed a fake branch.
Inspector Manish Kunwar of the local police station stated that upon receiving the report, they immediately dispatched personnel to investigate. When the new employees saw the police, their expressions seemed to indicate that their fears had finally come true.
The police revealed that the fake branch operated for about 10 days from its opening until it was exposed. Three main suspects had already fled, leaving behind fake addresses and untraceable phone numbers. The police are currently tracking them down.
One of the victims, 25-year-old Pintu Dhurve, told the Indian Express that he paid 580,000 Indian Rupees (approximately $6,899) to apply for the position of a teller.
He mentioned that he urgently needed a job and was introduced to the fake branch by a friend for the application, even borrowing money specifically for this purpose. Despite the office having 10 computers, internet access, and a lunch bell reminder every day at noon, they did not have employee IDs or actual work to do.
He recalled being instructed to study banking regulations on the SBI website. A suspect who claimed to be the branch manager, Pankaj, used to visit the office in the mornings, but one day he stopped coming. Soon afterward, the police exposed the fraudulent operation.
The police cracked down on the scam on September 27 but have not yet arrested any suspects. The victims were collectively defrauded of 1.2 million Indian Rupees (approximately $14,274).
Police suspect that Pankaj may have been a former bank employee or received assistance from someone with banking experience to orchestrate the scam.
In another instance in Uttar Pradesh, scammers recently pretended to operate a “time machine” that could make people “rejuvenate” and used this claim to deceive individuals by charging therapy fees. This marks another novel form of scam.
Previously reported by Da Ji Yuan, an Indian man Rajeev Kumar Dubey and his wife set up a treatment center in Kanpur, claiming that a “time machine” they imported from Israel could reverse the aging process and make 60-year-olds regain their youthful appearance.
The couple defrauded dozens of victims, with the total amount reaching 350 million Indian Rupees (approximately $4.17 million), leading to them being wanted by the police.