Hyderabad: A 52-year-old woman was defrauded of Rs 1.23 lakh while attempting to purchase a saree worth Rs 1,799 from an Instagram seller. The Hyderabad cybercrime police have registered a case.
The woman came across a fraudulent Instagram account, ‘Vastanzo9,’ that was selling sarees. After contacting the seller via WhatsApp, she made an initial UPI payment. The fraudster then requested additional payments through a QR code, assuring her that the first payment would be refunded.
After the woman transferred more money, the fraudster asked her to share her screen in order to process the refund. During the screen sharing, multiple Google Pay payment requests were sent, which the woman unknowingly authorised, resulting in a total loss of Rs 1,23,796.
A cybercrime official said that fraudsters were increasingly using fake Instagram pages to target online shoppers with enticing offers. Police advised users to verify genuine reviews and official websites before making any purchases.
The official warned, “No legitimate seller will ask for extra payments after a purchase. Never grant fraudsters access to your screen or device to protect your accounts and sensitive information.”
