Mumbai: Software engineer duped of Rs 6.3 lakh in QR code fraud while selling old furniture online

Selling used furniture on an online marketplace cost a 32-year-old man ₹6.3 lakh after the software engineer fell prey to a cyber con. The fraudster kept sending QR codes to scan to 'make the payment', only to dupe the complainant of his hard earned money. The Vanrai Police have booked the unidentified accused and are on the lookout for the fraudster.

According to police sources, the complainant had put up an advertisement to sell his old furniture, a cupboard, for ₹4,000 in November last year. Close to a month later, he received a message from an unidentified person, who posed as a potential buyer and showed interest in buying the cupboard for the quoted amount.

In a bid to authenticate the transaction, the cyber fraudster sent a QR code to the complainant on WhatsApp, asking him to scan it and check if ₹2 is credited to his account. The complainant obliged and scanned it, following which ₹2 was credited in his account. After establishing a trust, the fraudster sent another QR code for the complainant to scan which was obliged. Subsequently, the complainant lost ₹6.30 lakh from his account in a series of transactions.

In an irate tone, when the complainant confronted the fraudster, he apologised and ensured that the money will be credited back to the account, only to later find his phone unreachable. Realising that he had been duped, the software engineer immediately approached the Vanrai Police in Goregaon (E) and lodged a complaint.

Acting on the complaint, a case of cheating and impersonation was registered against the unidentified accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act. While the nodal officer of the bank has been alerted about the fraud to freeze the account, police are trying to trace the accused and investigation is underway.