The world is at our fingertips today, quite literally. Anything and everything can be bought and sold online with just one click. Although doing all our financial transactions online saves us some time and energy, it does come with its fair share of problems like online fraud, identity thefts and phishing scams.
Online theft is a common phenomenon today. Remember the Pune woman who almost got tricked by a conman online? This time, a woman from Mumbai became the latest victim of an online scam while she was attempting to buy beers online.
An investment banking analyst by profession, Radhika Parekh was cheated of Rs. 87,000 when she attempted to order three beers online, reports Indian Express.
Parekh who lives in Mumbai’s Powai, called a liquor shop and placed an order for three beers. She was then requested by the store staff to make the payment online after which the liquor would be delivered to her.
“The staffer advised her to make the payment on Google Pay and asked her to share her UPI ID. After she shared her ID, the complainant received a payment request on Google Pay, which she accepted, and Rs 29,001 were debited from her account,” said the investigating officer.
When she called the store and inquired about the excessive debit amount, the staffer apologised and said that amount was debited due to a mistake. “The shop staffer assured her that the additional amount deducted will be transferred back to her account, but when she disconnected the call she realised that she had lost another Rs 58,000 in two transactions,” the officer added.
When she tried calling the shop again, their phone was not reachable. “Parekh then came to the police station and handed a complaint application. Following a preliminary investigation, a case was registered under relevant sections of cheating under the Indian Penal Code and IT Act on Saturday,” said an officer from Powai police station.
While we all love shopping online, here’s a word of caution to ward off pesky fraudsters. Don’t divulge any sensitive data over SMS or phone call. And social media. These include OTPs, passwords, debit card details, ATM PIN, Aadhaar number or even your SIM card number.
Stay vigilant and safeguard your finances people!
Cover image: source