A leading tyre manufacturing company has lodged a complaint with the police, stating that unknown fraudsters had created bogus websites and email addresses of the company and on the pretext of providing dealerships at cheap price, had duped people from different parts of the country to the tune of Rs 36.27 lakh.

According to the police, the complainant in the case is an assistant operations manager. The company, which has its head office in Chennai, has their official website which contains information about the company, its products and the dealers associated with the company. From August 2020 till date, the company had received emails and phone calls, informing that someone had created three bogus websites and three bogus email addresses of the company.

"The bogus websites had also used the Trademark of the tyre company. The company had learnt that the fraudsters had duped people by offering dealerships at low prices and accepting money from the victims. The company later realised that the fraudsters had duped at least seven persons collectively to the tune of Rs 36.27 lakh. The victims are from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Kerala," said a police officer.

The police have registered a case under sections 418 (Cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 482 (Punishment for using a false property mark), 483 (Counterfeiting a property mark used by another) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 66C (punishment for identity theft) and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act, section 103 (Penalty for applying false trade marks, trade descriptions, etc) and 104 (Penalty for selling goods or providing services to which false trade mark or false trade description is applied) of The Trade Marks Act.

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