Hibox: Influencer scandal: woman cheated by 14L investment in ‘Mystery Boxes’ | Gurgaon News

Gurgaon: A woman has filed a complaint with cyber police station in Faridabad, claiming that she was cheated of Rs 8 lakh through an app promoted by a social media influencer, but ultimately turned out to be an extortion.
Police said several popular YouTubers, social media influencers and even actors were enlisted to ‘Hibox‘. Was among them Elves Yadavwho received a police report, to which he responded through his lawyer.
The complainant, Jyoti – a resident of Ahirwada – alleged that she downloaded ‘Hibox’ after watching a video of the influencer on social media on March 22. The app, she claimed, required users to buy and sell “Hibox.”mysterious boxes‘ — a surprise package with contents of which the buyer is unaware. If the buyer doesn’t like the items, he or she can sell the box to someone else, possibly for a higher price.
Jyoti claimed that she was asked to create an account and invest money to buy ‘mystery boxes’. Over the next three months, she not only encouraged others to download the app but also pumped in Rs 13.8 lakh to buy the boxes. While she received Rs 6 lakh in return after selling the boxes, the app was yet to return the remaining Rs 7.8 lakh.
On August 1, the company sent a text message saying the app wouldn’t work for a few days due to server issues. A few days later, users were told that they could not withdraw money due to “TDS provisions”.
On August 12, a group of Hibox employees announced on social media that the company’s managers had announced a closure and were running away with all the money. The employees asked users to file as many FIRs as possible and said they have resigned from their positions.
A case of cheating was registered under various sections of the BNS and IT Act following a complaint by Jyoti. The special cell became involved in the case after 29 more victims filed complaints that they were lured with promises of high returns – up to 90% – per month.
The cell found that the company had lured around 30,000 people in different cities and got celebrities to promote its app. Officials said they sent a message to Elvish on Oct. 5, who responded through his attorney.
Hemant Tiwari, DCP at the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, said that more than ten YouTubers were involved in the promotion of ‘Hibox’.
“The role of these YouTubers and influencers is under investigation. If we detect any criminal conspiracy, sections will be added to the FIR accordingly and the celebrities will be named as accused. We are considering issuing notices to those who have not appeared for questioning or send answers through their lawyers,” he added.
Police said they arrested one of the main suspects, J Shivram, from Chennai last week. According to police, the fraud is likely to cross Rs 500 crore. “We have frozen four bank accounts totaling Rs 18 crore,” an officer said.