Fraudsters have come up with new tricks each day to cheat people and make quick money. A lot of people have fallen prey to the tricks played by fraudsters and lost money. Now, the new way of cheating people is by sending fake shipment tracking website links, when people are trying to buy articles on OLX and Quikr.
These fake tracking website links sent by fraudsters show the location of the parcel and ask customers to make the payments to receive the parcel. In this blog, we will tell you how this fraud came to light.
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An engineering student was looking to buy camera accessories online and that is when he came across an advertisement on Quikr. After seeing the advertisement, he sent a message to the seller.
The seller named Shiven Shaket got in touch and told him about the accessories. The seller stated that the total amount for accessories was Rs 23,000 and asked him to pay in advance. The student paid only Rs 11,000 and said he would pay the remaining amounts after receiving the delivery of the product.
As soon as the amount was paid, the student received the tracking ID along with a link. When he checked the link it showed that the parcel was dispatched from the United Arab Emirates. The student kept tracking the shipment using that link. The next day, data showed that the parcel has arrived in New Delhi. It also showed that the parcel was on hold by customs for Countervailing Duty CVD charges of Rs 12,600. It even stated that the amount would be refunded.
The student called the seller immediately and told him about the customs charges. The seller convinced the student to pay the charges stating it would be refunded. As the website looked genuine, the student believed it to be so and paid the money.
The next day when he checked the link again he was asked to pay Rs 18,000 as importation and clearance charges. The student believed something to be wrong and called the seller. The seller again convinced him to pay the amount stating it would be refunded. The student stated that he hadn’t received the money and asked him to deliver the product as soon as possible.
The student believed something to be wrong and typed the tracking ID by visiting the official website. But, it did not show any results. He again opened the link which he received from the seller and compared the content with the original website. He then realized it was a fake website.
Realizing he was cheated he immediately approached the police and filed a complaint. They froze the bank account of the accused before money could be withdrawn.
See Also: Beware of Fake Online Shopping Portals
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