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Panchkula woman looking to secure online hospital appointment loses ₹1 lakh
The victim, Nishu, a resident of Sector 12, Panchkula, was feeling unwell on June 6; so, she searched for the phone number of Shri Ram Hospital in Sector 11, Panchkula, on Google to book an online appointment for treatment
A woman wishing to book an appointment with a private hospital after looking up its customer care number online lost ₹1 lakh to online swindlers.
The victim, Nishu, a resident of Sector 12, Panchkula, was feeling unwell on June 6. So, she searched for the phone number of Shri Ram Hospital in Sector 11, Panchkula, on Google to book an online appointment for treatment.
Nishu told the police that on calling the given phone number, she was told to pay ₹10 through a hyperlink sent to her mobile phone.
As told, she made the payment, following which she received an appointment confirmation message for 6.30 pm next day.
But on June 7, she received a text message that ₹99,999 were debited from her bank account.
She approached the hospital for help, only to learn that the hospital did not provide online appointments. Nishu then turned to police, who lodged an FIR under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 5 police station.
Another woman conned in same manner
A Chandimandir resident, who wished to visit PGIMER, Chandigarh, for her grandfather’s treatment, also lost ₹90,000 through the same modus operandi.
Coincidentally, the victim in this case, Tanya, had also tried to book an online appointment after locating a phone number on Google on June 7.
Earlier also on March 23, a similar complaint was lodged by Devanshu Goyal of Sector 7, Panchkula.
Goyal complained to police that fraudsters withdrew ₹1 lakh from his bank account after he called a phone number, found through a Google search, to book an appointment with a private hospital in Phase 6, Mohali.
He had submitted that he had taken the customer care number from the hospital’s website.
Beware while booking online appointments: Panchkula DCP
Meanwhile, Panchkula police have issued an advisory, urging residents to exercise caution while booking online appointments for hospitals.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sumer Pratap Singh said as a number of hospitals offered online appointments, cyber criminals were now targeting patients posing as hospital staff.
“The cyber criminals display their numbers and hyperlinks online. Whenever a person calls on these numbers, the fraudsters send a link through WhatsApp, asking to make payment for a small amount. They take personal details of the person and later withdraw money from their bank accounts,” said the DCP.
He urged residents not to share their details with strangers. He said for online appointments of hospitals, one did not need to call any phone number.
“Residents should access the hospital website directly and fill in details after examining the website carefully. No appointments are given on call,” he added.
He also cautioned residents against sharing OTPs with any stranger for any reason.
Cyber crime complaints can be made at helpline number 1930 or online at with www.cybercrime.gov.in
