Man lost Rs 44,782 in WhatsApp scam while trying to order beer worth Rs 360
Online scams are on the rise. Scammers these days are coming up with new tricks every day to dupe innocent users. Hackers not only gain access to personal data of users but also siphon off money from their bank accounts. In the latest scam, a 24-year-old lawyer from Mumbai, who was trying to order a beer online, lost Rs 44,782 in an online scam. The scammer pretended to be a liquor shop owner and promised to deliver two beer bottles.
As per reports, the victim searched for wine shops near him that delivered liquor to his home. He soon found a number and tried calling the number many times but the calls went unanswered. After a while, he got a message from the scammer masquerading as a wine shop owner. He then asked the lawyer to place his order via WhatsApp. Initially, the lawyer placed an order for only one beer but later on he was told by the scammer that in order to get the beers delivered to his home, he would have to place a minimum order of two beers worth Rs 360.
The scammer sent him a QR code to make payment for two beers. He was also asked to pay an extra Rs 30 as a delivery fee. While all this seemed believable to the lawyer, the scammer then asked the lawyer to pay Rs 4999 to get the bill for two beers. He also assured the lawyer that no money would be deducted from his bank account. As soon as he scanned the code, 499 and Rs 4999 were deducted from his bank account, contrary to the claims made by the scammer. When the lawyer asked him to return his money, he was sent another QR code which led to more loss of money. The lawyer scanned the code repeatedly to get a refund and ended up losing Rs 44,782.
When the lawyer called the scammer to ask for his money, his calls were not answered and soon he was blocked by the scammer. Later, the lawyer registered the complaint against the scammer at a nearby police station.
In this case, the lawyer should have become cautious when the scammer asked him to pay Rs 4999 to generate the bill. No online or offline vendor asks for money to generate a bill. He should not have kept scanning the code when he realized that he is losing his money.
