City chemists feel the pinch of online fraud; Police ask people to check accounts first

Mysore/Mysuru: As the surge in cybercrime, particularly online fraud cases, continues unabated, even the chemists (medical store vendors) have fallen prey to this growing menace.

According to M. Raju, the President of the Mysuru City and District Retail Chemists Association, Mysuru, in just the past week, eight to ten chemists in Mysuru have suffered substantial financial losses due to cyber fraud. This alarming trend underscores the need for heightened vigilance among chemists when dealing with unfamiliar calls.

Raju disclosed that the modus operandi involves a person conversing in Hindi who claims to be an Indian Military Officer. This individual places urgent orders for drugs by sending a list of required medicines on WhatsApp.

Subsequently, a bill is generated and a request for payment is sent to the caller’s phone. The caller instructs the chemist to hand over the medicines to his designated driver, promising to settle the payment online.

In a cunning twist, after an initial transaction of amount, for instance, Rs. 3,000, the caller promptly contacts the chemist, claiming an accidental online transfer of Rs. 30,000 instead. The fraudster insists on the immediate repayment of the excess amount, creating a sense of urgency. To support the claim, a text message or the transaction image (fake) is sent, and the call is abruptly disconnected, leaving no room for the chemist to question the discrepancy.

Raju lamented, “Without confirming the transaction, we transfer the amount online, believing in his text message, only to end up being cheated at the end.”

“Following these incidents, we on behalf of Chemists Association met Cyber Crime Officers and explained them about the cheating cases in detail. Recognising the severity of the situation, they have advised us to transact with utmost caution, with the surge in such cases being reported in newspapers daily,” added Raju.

Do not scan QR code or click on links

Police said the reason people fall into these traps is that they trust the caller and screenshot sent by the fraudsters, rather than checking their own account. If someone claims that he has wrongly sent some money, one should always check his own account to confirm it.

In majority of the cases, it is found that fraudsters send a fake transaction message screenshot. If the transaction is shown into your account, even then people should never scan the QR code or click on any link. Clicking on any link or scanning QR code would lead to a monetary loss, officials added.

How the trap is laid?

According to the Police, the perpetrators employ a deceptive modus operandi where unsuspecting individuals receive a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller, feigning sincerity, claims to have mistakenly transferred a specific amount, such as Rs. 1,000. To lend credence to the story, the caller shares a screenshot ostensibly confirming the payment.

Exploiting the guise of an honest mistake, the caller then politely requests the victim to send back the same amount, Rs. 1,000, and provides a QR code for the transaction.

Trusting the seemingly genuine nature of the caller, victims proceed to transfer the requested sum of Rs. 1,000. However, the situation takes a malicious turn when, after scanning the provided QR code in the attempt to return the money, the fraudsters execute unauthorised transactions, siphoning off additional funds from the victim’s account.