Mumbai, March 17: What began as a routine online shopping experience turned into a financial setback for a city resident, who lost Rs 98,000 to cyber fraudsters after ordering kurtis from a popular retail website.
According to the police complaint, the woman had purchased four kurtis through Westside’s official website and completed the payment online at the time of the order, reported NDTV. The transaction appeared successful, and there were no immediate signs of any issue.
Fraudsters pose as customer support
Shortly after placing the order, the woman received calls from individuals posing as representatives linked to the transaction. They claimed that her earlier payment had not been processed correctly due to a technical glitch.
The callers convinced her that she needed to make the payment again to confirm the order. They assured her that any extra amount deducted would be refunded without delay.
Trusting the information shared with her, the woman proceeded to make an additional payment of Rs 2,647 to initiate what she believed was a refund process.
Multiple transactions drain account
As the conversation continued, the fraudsters guided her through a series of steps under the pretext of completing the refund. During this process, several transactions were carried out from her bank account in quick succession.
By the time she realised something was wrong, a total of Rs 98,000 had been debited in instalments. The repeated deductions were flagged through bank alerts, prompting her to take immediate action.
Police register case, caution issued
The woman approached the police soon after noticing the unauthorised transactions. A case of cheating has been registered against unidentified cyber criminals, and an investigation is currently underway.
Officials have reiterated that legitimate online platforms do not ask customers to make additional payments for refunds. Citizens are advised to rely only on official customer care channels and avoid clicking on unknown links or sharing sensitive banking details.
