Bhayandar: After scams where targets were enticed to reveal the one time passwords (OTPs), fraudsters are now exploiting quick response (QR) codes to dupe people intending to buy or sell used products on e-commerce portals and online marketplaces.
Less than a week after a civil contractor was duped of Rs48,999, a 25-year-old woman from Mira Road was duped of Rs13,500 by fraudsters using a similar modus-operandi. Soon after placing an advertisement on the mobile app of a popular e-commerce portal to sell a used sofa and dining table, the complainant immediately received a call from a prospective “buyer” who impersonated an armyman, showing his keen interest in purchasing the on-sale furniture. To establish his credentials, the crook shared pictures of an aadhar card and an Army canteen pass. After agreeing to pay Rs13,500 for the furniture, the caller said he could make an online payment before taking the delivery.
Subsequently, the crook generated a QR code and the woman scanned it without realising the money was not being transferred to her but was deducted from her account. Efforts to call back the buyer fell flat since the phone was unreachable. Then she realised the caller had cheated her, and bank withdrawal alert messages confirmed it.
