Mumbai: Woman selling pickles loses Rs 81,000 to cyber fraudsters

This picture has been used for representational purposes

A woman lost Rs 81,000 to cyber fraudsters while trying to courier a jar of pickle to Uttar Pradesh. According to the police, the woman, who works as an accountant and resides in Tardeo, also sells pickles she prepares at home to her clientele in Mumbai. She had received an order from Varanasi for which she searched for courier service online, Times of India reported.

"While searching for a courier service, she came across a phone number and called on it. The person, who received the call, said they would deliver the pickle but she will have to immediately register on the app by making a payment of Rs 10," a police officer was quoted as saying. He added that she was told that she would get a lifetime membership and can avail discounts if she signs up on the app.

The woman was also told that the courier service would send someone to her home to pick up the parcel. The police said that the person sent her a link and called her, asking her to download an app and asked her not to disconnect the call till the process is over.

The woman tried to send Rs 10 through the app but it failed to process, following which the person asked her to wait, saying that there must be a network error.

A few minutes later, the call got disconnected and the woman received three notifications of Rs 81,000 getting deducted from her bank account and being transferred to three different accounts. She immediately blocked her card and filed a complaint with Tardeo police station. The cyber cell has initiated a parallel probe.

The police said that they have sought details of the caller and the bank accounts the money was transferred to, which has been traced to Rajasthan.

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