An engineer from Surat recently fell victim to a cyber fraud while trying to book a garba pass for the event, costing her Rs 2 lakh.
She initially purchased her pass through a ticket booking app for Rs 1,412.
She received a notification from the booking service stating that her pass could not be delivered due to an incorrect address.
As the vibrant festival of Navratri unfolds, many people are booking tickets for dandiya nights and garba events. However, not everyone is having a joyous experience. A 23-year-old engineer from Surat, Maitri Naik, recently fell victim to a cyber fraud while trying to book a garba pass for the event, costing her Rs 2 lakh.
Maitri, a chemical engineer working with Linde Engineering India Pvt Ltd in Vadodara, had initially purchased her pass through a ticket booking app for Rs 1,412. She eagerly anticipated having the pass delivered to her office on Vasna-Bhayli Road. However, on September 30, she received a notification from the booking service stating that her pass could not be delivered due to an incorrect address, reports TOI.
Also read: Chennai businessman lost Rs 2 cr in email spoofing scam: How to protect yourself from such frauds
Concerned, Maitri searched online for the customer care number of the courier service and tried to reach out, but she received no response. The next day, she received a call from someone claiming to be a representative of the courier service. This individual instructed her to go online, correct her address, and pay a nominal fee of Rs 5. The person sent her a link via WhatsApp for this payment.
Trusting the representative, Maitri followed the instructions and downloaded a file labeled ‘Customer Support Sign.apk,’ which she believed would help her update her details. Following the instructions, she entered her personal information. That evening, her garba pass was delivered, and she thought everything was resolved.
However, on October 2, things took a turn for the worse when she received an email notification alerting her that Rs 99,000 had been debited from her HDFC account. Shortly after, another message informed her that Rs 1 lakh had been withdrawn from her Bank of Baroda account. Realising she had fallen victim to a scam, Maitri immediately contacted the cybercrime helpline at 1930 to file a complaint.
This unfortunate incident serves as a reminder to be cautious when making online transactions, especially during busy festival seasons.
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Ayushi Jain
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