Man loses Rs2.83L to online fraud while buying mobile phone

The Nhava Sheva police have registered an FIR after a 55-year-old man lost ₹2.83 lakh to online fraud while purchasing a mobile phone.

According to police, the complainant purchased a mobile phone from an e-commerce site last month. When he was making payment from his credit card, it was declined on the first attempt. However, in the second attempt, a transaction of ₹18,549 was successful and he received the mobile phone from the e-commerce site on time.

“When the bill of his credit card was generated, the complainant noticed that ₹18,549 was charged twice. He raised the issue with the bank. The bank took his complaint and assured him that the money would be credited to his card soon. The bank executive also asked him to contact the e-commerce site so as to complete the process soon,” said a police officer from Nhava Sheva police station.

“The complainant asked for the helpline of the e-commerce site from the bank executive and the latter asked him to search online. The complainant found a number online and called that to get back his money. However, the customer care number turned out to be fraudulent. The complainant downloaded a mobile app as suggested by the fake customer care and followed the instructions. The fraudster then transferred ₹2,17,783 from his bank account and ₹63,325 from his credit card. After realising what had happened, the complainant approached us and narrated the entire incident,” the officer added.

The police have registered a case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66C and 66D of the IT Act.