Highlights

• Mumbai doctor orders lipstick online, becomes victim of a phishing scam.

• Fraudulent message claimed lipstick delivery, leading to a phishing trap.

• Scammer tricked her into downloading a malicious app and divulging bank details.

• Unauthorized transactions of Rs 1 lakh reported, prompting a police complaint.

A Mumbai resident experienced a significant financial loss of Rs 1 lakh due to an online scam linked to a seemingly harmless purchase of a lipstick worth Rs 300 from a well-known e-commerce website.

The sequence of events leading to this fraud began when she placed her order on November 2nd.

A Phishing Scam Unfolds

The woman, a doctor from Navi Mumbai, was awaiting her lipstick order when she received a message falsely claiming that her order had been delivered, despite not receiving the package.

After reporting the non-delivery to the courier company, she was told to expect a call from customer care.

Subsequently, the victim received a call from someone posing as a customer service representative.

The caller claimed that her order was on hold and required a nominal payment of Rs 2 to proceed.

She was directed to a web link and instructed to enter her bank details for the transaction.

Malicious App Installation and Bank Fraud

Unaware of the scam, the victim followed the instructions and clicked on the provided link, inadvertently downloading a malicious app onto her mobile device.

She made the Rs 2 payment, unknowingly exposing her bank details in the process.

On November 9th, she discovered unauthorized debits totaling Rs 1 lakh from her account, including transactions of Rs 95,000 and Rs 5,000.

Realizing she had fallen prey to a phishing scam, the victim immediately filed a complaint with the cyber police station in Nerul.

FAQs

Q: How did the Mumbai doctor fall victim to the online scam?

A: The doctor from Mumbai ordered a Rs 300 lipstick from an e-commerce site. She received a false delivery message and was later contacted by someone posing as a customer service representative. This individual tricked her into downloading a malicious application and making a nominal payment, leading to the theft of her bank details.

Q: What were the consequences of the scam for the victim?

A: As a result of the scam, unauthorized transactions totaling Rs 1 lakh were made from the doctor’s bank account. This included two major debits of Rs 95,000 and Rs 5,000, which she discovered later.

Q: What steps did the victim take after realizing the scam?

A: Upon realizing she had been scammed, the doctor immediately filed a complaint with the cyber police station in Nerul to report the unauthorized transactions and the phishing scam.