Delete fake wine store numbers listed online, cops write to Google

Mumbai Police has written to Google, asking it to take down phone numbers that are falsely listed as those of wine stores, especially in the western suburbs. Around

Mumbai Police has written to Google, asking it to take down phone numbers that are falsely listed as those of wine stores, especially in the western suburbs. Around 25 people in Bandra and Khar have become victims in such cases of cheating within four months, said police.

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Police said that Google has taken cognisance of the letter and removed more than 10 such fraudulent numbers. HT sent an email query to the search engine, but did not receive a response till the time of going to press.

Recently, police had noticed that fraudsters replace phone numbers of wine shops listed online with their own numbers. They then ask customers looking to order alcohol for advance payment, convince them to share their debit or credit card details, and withdraw money.

“We have written to the search engine and provided a list of numbers used by the fraudsters. The search engine has taken cognisance of the letter and has removed more than 10 such numbers,” said a police officer from Bandra police station.