A sexagenarian lost ₹28,000 to a cyber fraudster after she filled out her details in a form to avail a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) free offer on a thali. In her complainant, the 67-year-old woman said that she came across the advertisement on a social media platform, after which she contacted to avail the offer, only to be duped. A complaint has been registered at Worli police station against the unidentified accused.
The 67-year-old Worli-based woman, who stays alone, was surfing the social media when she came across an advertisement on Facebook, wherein a restaurant, Hotel Maharaja Bhog Thali was offering a BOGO on the first order. Tempted with the offer, the sexagenarian contacted the number mentioned on the post.
Upon calling, a man who identified himself as a hotel staffer of the Kandivali branch, confirmed the offer and asked her to fill up a form to avail the concession. "While filling out the form, I shared my name, address, phone number and bank account details. The hotelier later asked me to wire ₹10 to the account to authenticate the transaction, and I did so," said the 67-year-old woman in her complaint.
Between 11.00 am and 11.37 am, the bank intimated the senior about three transactions of ₹9,999 each, amounting to a total of ₹27,997. Shocked by these transactions, she immediately called up the hotel and enquired with them about the transactions, only to be hung up and the hotel staff never entertained her later.
Having realised that she was duped, she immediately approached Worli Police and lodged a complaint. Police said, "The fraudster had used Google forms, which gave him access to the senior's details, making it a piece of cake for him to cheat her. We have registered a First Information Report (FIR) and booked him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act."
