Bhubaneswar: Cyber criminals operational in the state are often seen changing their strategies to prey on gullible internet users. In a recent adaptive change in their modus operandi, many of them are now found to be posing as army officers to dupe people.
Several mobile wallet users have reported increased instances of such approaches from fraudsters. In their plan of action, they approach local online sellers, second-hand sellers of items over phone and tempt them with bulk orders and advance payments.
Many such victims of the fraud or those who saved themselves from such persons claim that the fraudsters often try to lure people with prompt online payment offers through mobile wallets. “They first pose themselves as patriotic army personnel. Their WhatsApp profile photos try to create an image of a patriotic citizen. They try to lure traders of bulk orders and offer to pay the amount in advance through mobile wallets like Paytm, PhonePe and others,” said Akriti Singh, an online seller in the city.
She also added, “As soon as you agree to get the payment through mobile wallet they start with their modus operandi. Instead of sending the money they send an image of a QR code and ask their victims to scan the code on their mobile wallet and key in the pin number.”
As soon as the trader or seller of second-hand items does it, the amount, instead of getting deposited into their account, gets debited within minutes. While many frequent mobile wallet users sense the fraud and do not fall prey to the tactics, some become victims of such cyber frauds.
Many gullible consumers of mobile wallets, some housewives engaged in doing petty trade from their homes, senior citizens not well versed with technology have recently fallen victims to such frauds. Many such cases involving used cars and other commodities through online selling websites like OLX have been reported from the city.
In the recent few months, many cases of mobile wallet scams have been reported by duped consumers. Police, meanwhile, have requested people to be aware of such frauds through mobile wallets and keep off online traps.