A 49-year-old man from Mira Road working with a private travel firm became the latest target of cyber fraud after he lost more than ₹2 lakh while trying to enquire about the status of a parcel of clothes which he had ordered on an online apparel portal for Ramzan Eid.
In his statement to the Naya Nagar police, the complainant said that he had placed the order on the portal and had received a tracking link to check the status of delivery.
Victim googled courier facility's number
However, when he did not get the parcel on the stipulated day, he searched Google for the contact number of the courier facility. Unaware that cyber criminals often upload fake customer care numbers online to cheat gullible internet users, the complainant contacted one such number, and was told that his address displayed in the system was incorrect.
The caller sent him a link and asked him to pay ₹5 for confirmation. The complainant clicked on the link sent by the cyber-criminal, filled a form and paid ₹5.
Amount deducted from credit card in two equal transactions
However, he was shocked to learn that ₹1,99,998 was deducted from his credit card in two equal withdrawals amounting ₹99,999 each.
Realising he was cheated, the man registered a complaint with the Naya Nagar police station in Mira Road.
The fraudster had apparently made him install a remote access application to take control over his mobile phone and credit card details, during the ₹ 5 transaction.
An offence under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act of 2000 has been registered against the unidentified cyber-crook.
