Numerous cases have been reported in which fraudsters posing as friends or family members have contacted the victim. The fraudster claims to be in need of money and is requesting it from the victim. It appears these messages and calls are genuine. It is unfortunate that many of these calls and messages are faked by fraudsters attempting to defraud innocent victims of their hard-earned money.​

Bhopal continues to face online fraud cases

On Wednesday, the Govindpura police station registered two cases of online fraud. The first complainant, Sunita Raipuriya (55), a resident of Amrai Parisar in Bag Sewania, claimed, in her complaint, that on October 13, an online fraudster had called her and claimed to be her sister's father-in-law.

In her statement, the accused said that he needed to take a payment from a client of Rs 50,000, but his online payment wallet did not work. Then, he asked her for the UPI details for her online payment wallet and told her that he would transfer the money to her account and she should return it to him later. After Sunita agreed to the accused's request, he sent her a link and when she clicked it, Rs 50.000 was deducted from her account.

In another case, Naresh Kuma, another resident of Bag Sewania, stated in his complaint that he discovered an advertisement posted on Facebook on October 13. After calling the number, he purchased a bed, refrigerator, and TV. He was asked to transfer money through an online wallet by the fraudulent poster of the advertisement. Despite transferring Rs 62000, the goods did not arrive.

Also Check: Fraud Story #117 - Milkha Singh's wife scammed out of Rs 99,000/-

How to avoid this kind of fraud?

1. Never provide sensitive information like credit card numbers, CVVs, OTPs, UPI PINs, and other confidential information over the phone.  Banks or reputable companies will not contact you for your personal information.

2. Fraudsters use fake identification of friends and family to gain trust. Keep a check on such attempts. Verify details of the caller before proceeding to make any payment.

3. The number of phishing incidents is increasing. Links that appear to be malicious should not be clicked.

4. The One Time Password (OTP), UPI pin, and other secret information should not be divulged over the phone. You should never provide your banking information to anyone and should always contact your bank. There is the possibility of fraud.

5. Never make an advance payment to a seller you do not know. Fraudsters often use social media to post false advertisements.

6.  It is recommended that digital escrow platforms be used for payment. When making an online payment with Escrow, you do not share your financial information with anyone. There is a platform for escrow called Vouch.

How does digital escrow work?

In digital escrow, a third-party account holds the money deposited by the buyer until the seller fulfills the terms of the contract. The escrow company supervises the transacting parties.

What is the role of Digital Escrow in preventing online fraud in India? 

Digital escrow services are offered by many companies in India. Among the most trusted is Vouch.

Vouch’s Digital Escrow service is a transparent way for buyers and sellers to build trust and secure a clean transfer of product and payment. Sellers can feel assured that they will be fairly compensated promptly, and buyers will feel confident that their order will be delivered as expected and on schedule. Vouch Digital Escrow keeps you updated and informed at every step of the transaction process till the end. Vouch’s professionals are always available to assist you with all queries that you may have during the entire transaction process. 

There is no scope for deceit or fraud since the payments, shipping, delivery, and execution are carried out under the honest and watchful eyes of the Vouch’s professionals. With Vouch, any business transaction becomes transparent, uncomplicated, and hassle-free. If you ever come across a fraudster asking for OTP, asking you to scan a QR code, or asking you to click on phishing links, you can simply refuse and ask him/her to proceed with the transaction through Vouch.



This is Fraud Story #144. Check back here for more fraud stories and scams that you can protect yourself from.

Safety is not just about protecting your credit, debit card number, and UPI accounts. It's about having control of your money till you've received the product or service you bought online!

​Note: This is a good-faith initiative to educate the world about avoiding frauds like these and how to act when you're becoming a victim of such a situation. 

Do you have a fraud you would like to report? Please write to us at letstalk@iamvouched.com