Karnataka: Elderly woman duped of Rs 77,000 while seeking refund for spoilt milk

The woman embarked on her quest for a refund by searching for the customer care number of the online grocery platform. Upon calling the number she found, she was met with someone claiming to be a platform executive.

In an unfortunate incident, an elderly woman from Kasturba Nagar on Mysuru Road fell victim to an online scam when she attempted to return spoilt milk purchased from an online grocery platform on March 18, resulting in a loss of Rs 77,000.

The woman embarked on her quest for a refund by searching for the customer care number of the online grocery platform. Upon calling the number she found, she was met with someone claiming to be a platform executive. Assured of a refund without needing to return the spoiled milk, the woman was directed to follow a specific procedure.

Following the instructions provided by the individual, the woman received a WhatsApp message containing a UPI ID number (081958) and was instructed to initiate a transfer through her digital payment app (PhonePe). Unaware of the unfolding scam, she complied, adding the provided UPI ID number and entering her UPI PIN as prompted.

As she entered her UPI PIN, the miscreant swiftly disconnected the call, leaving her to realize she had been duped. Acting swiftly, the woman sought assistance from the cyber helpline (1930) before lodging a formal complaint with the Byatarayanapura police. Authorities have since initiated actions under the Information Technology Act, aiming to freeze the fraudulent amount from the scammer's account.

This incident echoes a similar cybercrime episode reported earlier, where a retired chief manager of a bank fell prey to scammers, resulting in a loss of Rs 98,868.