Mumbai resident calls bogus e-payment firm helpline, cheated of ₹45,000

The 43-year-old called spoke to a fraudster posing as a customer care executive and was made to download app that revealed card details

A 43-year-old man was duped of ₹45,000 by a fraudster posing as the customer care executive of a digital payments firm when he called on the helpline number posted online. On the pretext of helping him install the digital payments app, the fraudster — who had uploaded the false helpline number on Just Dial — tricked the complainant, Bhavin Chedda, into installing another app and siphoned the money.

₹45,000 was withdrawn from the complainant’s account in three transactions (Representational photo)

The Borivli police registered an FIR on January 16 after Chedda’s complaint. Chedda, a Borivli resident, who is a stock market executive, said he was unable to install the digital payments app last month and called up the customer care number available on Just Dial. “I called the number and a man, identifying himself as the customer care executive of the app started speaking.”

Chedda explained his problem to the man, who said he will call him in 15 minutes. “He called back and said I have to install another application [which was a remote desktop tool, using which one’s mobile activity can be controlled or seen from another phone with one’s permission]. I had no idea what this app was. I installed it, filled a 12-digit authentication code and accepted the request as per the instructions given to be me by the man,” Chedda said.

The fraudster then asked Chedda to type his debit card details on his keypad. “I did not suspect anything amiss as he was not asking me to share the details. He was only asking me to type it on my phone. Within a few minutes, ₹45,000 were debited from my account in three transactions,” he said.

As the fraudster was still on the call when the money was debited, Chedda demanded to know what happened. “I told him I will inform the police. He said ‘Jo karna hai kar’ [‘Do what you want’]. I then approached the cops.”

In response to an email query, Just Dial said, “We declare that we do not have any commercial/business relationship with mobile numbers 8240741277 and 8873538066 who is involved in this alleged transaction. Further, Just Dial has no role to play in the amount deducted from user. As an abundant caution, the mobile numbers have been blocked for any further interaction on our platforms.”