A 65-year-old woman from Kasturba Nagar, Bengaluru, incurred a loss of Rs 77,000 after falling victim to cyber fraudsters while attempting to obtain a refund for spoilt milk purchased from an online grocery service.
The incident occurred when the woman bought one litre of milk from the grocery delivery service on March 18, only to discover that it was spoilt upon delivery. Seeking a refund, she dialed a helpline number found on Google, purportedly belonging to the grocery platform’s customer service.
A person claiming to be a customer service executive assured her of a refund without returning the milk and provided instructions via WhatsApp. Trusting the “executive,” the woman followed the instructions, which included transferring money via a UPI ID provided by the scammer.
Under the scammer’s guidance, the woman opened her digital payment app, selected the ‘Transfer money’ option, and entered the provided UPI ID. Subsequently, she entered her UPI PIN as directed. However, immediately after entering her PIN, the scammer disconnected the call, and the woman realized she had been deceived.
Realizing the fraud, the woman promptly reported the incident to the cyber helpline and filed a complaint with the Byatarayanapura police. An investigation is underway.
According to a police officer, scamsters often manipulate contact numbers for various services, including grocery delivery, to deceive unsuspecting victims. The officer advised contacting firms or platforms through their official websites rather than relying on numbers obtained via online searches.
