A woman residing in Gurgaon's Kherki Daula area has become the latest victim of a sophisticated online payment fraud, losing a substantial sum of Rs 94,000 after being deceived by scammers who pretended to have accidentally transferred money into her account.
The Elaborate Scam: How It Unfolded
The incident began on October 1, when the victim received a phone call. This was followed by messages that claimed an erroneous financial transfer had been made to her bank account. The fraudsters, posing as genuine individuals, urgently requested that the money be sent back to them.
Believing the communication to be authentic, the woman proceeded to return the funds using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform. She executed two separate transactions: one amounting to Rs 49,000 sent to a Paytm account registered under the name Nilu Kumari, and another of Rs 45,000 transferred to a different UPI ID. The total loss amounted to Rs 94,000.
The Cruel Realization and Police Action
It was only after completing the transfers that the woman realized she had been conned. She discovered that the credit alert messages were completely fabricated and no money had ever been deposited into her account. The entire episode was a ruse to trick her into parting with her own funds.
Upon realizing the fraud, she took immediate steps. She filed a formal complaint at the Manesar police station and also reported the crime on the national cybercrime portal. She promptly informed her bank about the unauthorized transactions as well.
Legal Proceedings and Safety Lessons
The Manesar police have registered a case against an unidentified person under the relevant sections of the law. The accused has been booked under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to cheating by dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
This case highlights a growing trend of UPI and digital payment frauds where scammers exploit trust and urgency. Authorities advise citizens to exercise extreme caution. They recommend always verifying the source of any unexpected credit alert directly through bank statements or official banking apps, rather than relying on SMS or call-based instructions. Never initiate a refund for an unsolicited transfer without absolute confirmation from your bank.
As digital transactions become more common, such incidents serve as a stark reminder for users to remain vigilant and double-check all financial requests, no matter how convincing they may seem.
