(News Trust of India): The internet has become a place where you can find real chances and scams. One such fraud that shocked the country was the ₹3700 crore scam carried out by Anubhav Mittal, who is from Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh. Mittal’s company, 3W Digital Private Limited, based in Sector-63 of Noida, assured people they could become wealthy and successful. But hidden underneath the attractive promises was a carefully planned lie.
The Front Uncovered
The way the trick worked was simple but clever. Disguised as advertising other companies, people were tempted to click on Facebook links. The offer was attractive – ₹7 for each click on these links, and participants would get ₹5 for each click. This plan, together with making a website called Biz, appeared like a great opportunity to achieve financial freedom.
However, the company’s many name changes, from Ablaze Info Solution to Social Trade, Three Hub, Intamart, FringeUp, and eventually, 3W, aroused questions. This cunning approach attempted to escape investigative agencies, but suspicions only mounted as the swindle expanded its tentacles countrywide. Shockingly, international linkages to investments from Nigeria and Dubai appeared, showing the scam’s global scope.
Unveiling the Schemes
Mittal’s operation attracted victims with four unique schemes, each offering varied returns:
Scheme One: A ₹5750 investment required members to make 25 daily clicks, yielding ₹3750 monthly.
Scheme Two: For ₹11,500, individuals had to produce 50 daily clicks, offering ₹7500 monthly rewards.
Scheme Three: With a ₹28,750 investment, members were tasked with 75 daily clicks, offering ₹11,250 monthly revenue.
Scheme Four: A heavy ₹57,500 investment necessitated 125 daily clicks, giving ₹18,750 monthly returns.
Viral Deception
The scam’s virality derived from its multi-level marketing (MLM) structure. Entrants were required to recruit two members within 21 days to unlock improved profits. This pyramid scheme, fueled by avarice, encouraged participants to rope in friends and family fast, quickening its spread across social networks.
Anubhav Mittal’s opulent lifestyle projected a sense of richness and success, as seen by his affiliations with Bollywood celebrities like Sunny Leone and Ameesha Patel. However, his attempts to abscond were prevented by observant persons who made reports, resulting to his arrest.
The Financial Fallout
The enormity of the crime became clear when investigations showed transactions amounting to ₹3726 crore across 12 bank accounts. Police raids revealed identity cards of 9 lakh individuals and mobile phones of over 6.30 lakh people. The seizure of ₹524 crore and assets worth ₹150 crore emphasized the scale of Mittal’s fraudulent operation. Suspicion also hovered over the involvement of bank executives in aiding these unlawful transactions.
Origins of Deception
Mittal’s journey into deception stretches back to his college days when the seeds of Social Trade were sown in his dorm room. Even before completing his BTech, Mittal proceeded on this malicious endeavor, appointing his father, Sunil Mittal, as a director. The Ponzi scheme, typified by MLM structures and false promises, resembles the infamous modus operandi of Charles Ponzi, who pioneered such fraudulent schemes a century ago.
the Facebook click fraud conducted by Anubhav Mittal serves as a warning tale about succumbing to promises of easy cash. As investigators continue to untangle the nuances of this complicated plot, it underlines the significance of caution and skepticism in the digital age.
