7 months ago
2
The Cyber Crime Unit of Hyderabad City Police has cautioned citizens to enactment alert against a surge successful online scams arsenic fraudsters are exploiting the Diwali buying unreserved with fake websites, phishing links, and fraudulent advertisements promising heavy discounts connected gadgets and gifts.
According to the police, cybercriminals are utilizing deceptive tactics specified arsenic bogus e-commerce portals, malicious APK files, and fake societal media advertisements to instrumentality unsuspecting users into sharing idiosyncratic and banking details. Many victims person reportedly suffered dense fiscal losses aft falling for these integer traps.
One of the communal methods involves fraudsters sending links done WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram, claiming to connection festival discounts oregon rewards. Once victims download the attached APK files oregon unfastened phishing pages, malware is installed connected their phones, giving fraudsters entree to banking credentials, OTPs, and stored idiosyncratic information.
In different variation, scammers nonstop messages announcing that the recipient has “won a Diwali gift” oregon “exclusive festive reward” and past request tiny processing interest oregon GST payments to assertion the prize. Victims who comply often extremity up losing immense magnitude of money.
Meanwhile, a 29-year-old pistillate from Secunderabad precocious mislaid ₹1,40,000 aft she was duped by fraudsters posing arsenic executives from a buying tract named Fashor. The caller, citing her past purchases, told her she had been shortlisted for a peculiar Diwali acquisition connection and persuaded her to marque aggregate payments nether the pretext of dispatch and taxation charges for an iPhone 13 that ne'er arrived.
In different case, a 69-year-old nonmigratory of Azampura mislaid ₹1,02,194 aft calling a fake Blinkit lawsuit attraction fig recovered connected Google. The fraudsters sent him an APK nexus done WhatsApp and instructed him to instal it. Once helium did, they gained distant entree to his and his family’s phones, draining wealth from their slope accounts.
The constabulary said galore citizens autumn prey to specified scams by trusting visually appealing online ads, downloading unverified apps, making beforehand payments to chartless sellers, oregon sharing delicate fiscal accusation without verification.
Citizens person been advised to debar installing applications from chartless sources, verify buying sites earlier making payments, and refrain from clicking connected suspicious links oregon responding to messages offering gifts oregon rewards. Enabling two-factor authentication for banking and e-commerce accounts tin besides supply an further furniture of protection.
In the lawsuit of immoderate cyber fraud, the constabulary person urged victims to instantly interaction the National Cyber Crime Helpline, 1930, oregon record a ailment astatine www.cybercrime.gov.in. Prompt reporting, they said, increases the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions and minimising fiscal losses.
Commissioner of Police V.C. Sajjanar said citizens indispensable workout caution portion buying online during the festive play and stay vigilant against offers that look excessively bully to beryllium true.
