Woman loses Rs 1 lakh after calling on 'Amazon Customer care'; Scammers new trick will SHOCK you

In yet another instance of financial cyber fraud, a Sonipat-based woman lost Rs one lakh to scammers after she called on an Amazon Customer Care number that she got from a Google search. The State Cyber Crime Branch of Haryana shared the incident on its Twitter handle. 

Detailing the case, it said, "A Sonipat resident called on an Amazon Customer Care number that she found on Google. The fraudster tricked her into installing the Any Desk App and siphoned off Rs 1 lakh from her account. When she complained on 1930, the police saved Rs 95000 by blocking the transaction." It's noteworthy to mention that e-commerce retailers like Amazon and Flipkart don't have customer care numbers available publically and the numbers that appear in Google searches are fake.

Scammers take advantage of this as they publish their numbers on Google portraying these as customer care numbers of different platforms including Amazon and Flipkart. When people call on these numbers, they fell victim to online fraud. 

The crime branch further cautioned people to investigate any app before installing it.

सोनीपत निवासी महिला ने,

Google पर ढूंढा Amazon Customer Care Number,

Fraudster ने "Any Desk App" install करवा, खाते से उड़ाए 1 लाख रु.

दी शिकायत 1930 पऱ तो पुलिस ने लौटवाए 95000 रु.

फ़ोन में कोई भी अनजान App install करने से पहले उसके बारे में जांच पड़ताल अवश्य करें. pic.twitter.com/env7bYypHo — State Crime Branch, Haryana (@SCBHaryana) October 4, 2022

AnyDesk app is an app that allows one user to access any other device remotely through the app-generated security code. In this case, the scammer got control of the victim's smartphone through the app and then siphoned-off money from her account using a banking app.

Cyber experts warned people against sharing any sensitive information with unknown people. 

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"Scammers can obtain sensitive information once they get access to your device using AnyDesk. It is a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity. One should never share such sensitive information like security codes, passwords, OTPs with anyone and never install any app without a proper background check," said  Karmesh Gupta, CEO, WiJungle.

There are many malware disguised as useful apps that once installed take command of your smartphone and pass on sensitive data secretly to scammers. Gupta asked users to have an antivirus installed on their devices and cautioned them against downloading suspicious apps from the app stores.