Last month, Gurgaon resident Sonam Shekhawat (32) decided to search for an online wine delivery service on Google. While she found that there was no option in the city, she chanced upon a phone number that claimed to provide alcohol at the doorstep. What followed was a series of transactions that ended in her losing Rs 33,000 to scamsters.
The Sector 82A resident lodged a complaint with the police on October 11. Police registered an FIR at Cyber Crime Manesar police station on Friday and said they are looking into the matter.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Shekhawat said she tried to order alcohol on October 10 around 10 am. “I found that Gurgaon did not have a home delivery option, but found a number that claimed to do so. I called them up and paid around Rs 3,000 for a bottle of Glenfiddich via UPI and they received it. But soon after, I got a call asking me to send money for delivery. Since the amount was high I asked them to cancel the order,” she said.
“They later asked me to send Rs 5, which, they said, would be credited back. Along with the amount, they asked me to enter a description (while making the UPI transaction) that had a series of numbers and characters. They said it was the GST number, but I did not dwell on it. As soon as the money was debited, I got it back. But soon after, I received a message stating that Rs 29,986 had also been debited from my bank account. I called the bank and blocked my account,” Shekhawat said.
Most Read
She also said she had not downloaded any app that would have given her mobile phone screen access to the scammers. “Police told me my account details were leaked after the Rs 5 payment,” Shekhawat added.
Meanwhile, police said the scammers had sent a QR code for completing the transaction. “We suspect the woman was cheated when the transaction was taking place… We have the details of the phone number and sought transaction details from the bank. The location of the accused was traced to Bharatpur. A probe is underway,” an officer said.
Bharatpur has emerged as a cybercrime hub in a recent study by Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF), a start-up incubated at IIT-Kanpur.
