Bengaluru techie loses ₹68 lakh to fraudsters by trying to sell his bed online: Report

In a major online scam, a techie from Bengaluru’s HSR Layout lost ₹68 lakh by clicking unknown links and sharing OTPs with the fraudsters, reported The Times of India. This is said to be one of the biggest reported online lootings in recent times.

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According to the report, the 39-year-old decided to sell his bed through online platform OLX and posted a classified regarding the same by quoting a ₹15,000 for it. A man claiming to be the owner of a furniture store in Indiranagar contacted the victim, in disguise of the buyer. They both closed a deal and the accused said that he was unable to make a payment through the UPI. The fraudster then sent ₹5 to the victim and asked him to send ₹10 back. They both made transactions to each other through the UPI ID and after developing a trust, the accused told him that there was an issue with his banking system to make payments and asked him to tell the OTP by clicking a link.

The victim had reportedly lost Rs. 15 lakhs twice and Rs. 30 lakhs once and the scam costed him Rs. 68 lakh in total. Speaking to the publication, the victim said, “He introduced himself as a trader and I assumed he did not know how to make online payments. He even was in contact with me after I sent the money and told that he is facing a banking issue to return the money. I only realised that it was a scam after he continued to ask for more money.”

A case has been registered under IPC sections 419 and 420 and banks have been asked to freeze the accounts, said the report further.