Pune contractor duped of 11 lakh in 'Pregnant Job' scam promising 25 lakh to make woman mother

A 44-year-old contractor in Pune was scammed of Rs 11 lakh after responding to a job advertisement on social media that promised Rs 25 lakh for a man who would impregnate a woman.

The video ad stated, “I want a man who will make me a mother. Give the joy of motherhood. I will give him Rs 25 lakh. I don’t care if he is educated or not, or to what caste he belongs or whether he is fair or dark.”

The man reportedly came across the ad from an entity named ‘Pregnant Job’ at the start of September. According to the FIR registered at Baner, when he called the listed number, a man claiming to be an assistant at the ‘Pregnant Job’ firm responded to the call. The assistant then asked him to pay various fees: registration charges, identity card charges, verification, GST, TDS, processing fee, etc. Over the period of about two months, from September to October 23, he made over 100 transfers using UPI and IMPS. As he started to raise concerns, the fraudsters blocked him. Soon, he approached the police and an FIR was registered.

“We have launched a probe into the cell numbers and bank accounts used by the fraudsters,” said the Police personnel.

Police reports suggest that such cyber fraud has been rising over the last couple of years, specifically since late 2022. The mode of operation is social media videos of women promising to pay large sums of money to men if they could help them conceive. Following this, in the guise of registration, legal, and medical ‘formalities’, an upfront payment is extorted. Once the money is gathered, the fraudsters vanish. Police have made several arrests related to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and other states, revealing that these scams are part of a wider network of cyber criminals who are using social media advertisements to lure in and trap victims.