Highlights

• Shifali Chaudhary from Mahauli loses Rs 80,000 in an online delivery scam.

• She paid a Rs 5 handling fee, which led to unauthorized debits from her bank account.

• The scam involved a fraudulent delivery agent and a deceptive payment link.

• Incident underscores risks associated with online financial transactions.

A woman from Mahauli, identified as Shifali Chaudhary, fell prey to an online scam, resulting in the loss of Rs 80,000.

She was tricked into paying a nominal Rs 5 handling fee for a parcel delivery, which turned out to be a phishing scam.

The Scam Process

Shifali received a message from someone claiming to be a delivery agent.

The message requested a Rs 5 fee for handling her package.
Once she clicked the link to pay this fee, her bank account was unexpectedly debited twice, each time for Rs 40,000.

The fraudsters posed as delivery agents to gain Shifali’s trust.

Using a fraudulent link, they tricked her into revealing her banking information.

This allowed them to access her account and steal Rs 80,000.

The incident raises questions about how scammers obtained Shifali’s contact details and address.

Such information can come from various sources, including data breaches where personal data is sold on the dark web or gathered from public sources like social media.

Dangers of Online Transactions

This case highlights the risks associated with online transactions, especially when dealing with unknown sources.

The ease of digital payments can unfortunately also facilitate such frauds, urging users to be more cautious and verify the authenticity of requests for money, however small the amount may be.

FAQs

How did Shifali Chaudhary become a victim of the online scam?

Shifali Chaudhary received a message from someone posing as a delivery agent, asking her to pay a Rs 5 handling fee for a parcel. When she paid this fee using a provided link, Rs 80,000 was stolen from her bank account.

What was the method used by the scammers in this case?

The scammers posed as delivery agents and used a phishing link to deceive Shifali into providing her banking details, which they then used to siphon money from her account.

How much money did Shifali Chaudhary lose to the scammers?

Shifali Chaudhary lost a total of Rs 80,000 to the scammers, with two unauthorized transactions of Rs 40,000 each from her account.

How can such personal information be accessed by scammers?

Scammers may obtain personal information through data breaches, purchasing stolen data on the dark web, or by collecting publicly available information from social media and other sources.