The Cyber Mules
bank accounts of
gullible people for a fee
Babu will never forget 2020. And his reasons for remembering -- and regretting -- annus horribilis are very different from that of other Bengalureans. Not only did he lose his
job due to the pandemic, he also ended up in jail for striving to provide for his wife and two kids.
The 35-year-old class seven dropout from a small village in
North Karnataka fell for a ‘recharge’ scam as he was promised some money -- Rs 3,000 for every Rs 1 lakh processed -- for doing very little.
“Last year around the same time, I had lost my job and was not being able to take care of my wife and two infants. Day by day things were getting difficult for me. It was at that time that I heard that my friend Anand, who had also lost his job, had started to earn some money through his mobile while sitting at home. He told me that he was helping his friend ‘recharge’ his bank account and was earning a commission in return. Hearing of my struggle, he offered the job to me as well.