Ordering alcohol online? Beware of cyber frauds

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru:

Police personnel from the Cyber Cell and Economics Offences Wing have warned people to be careful while ordering liquor online in the city as more than 50 people have reportedly lost money to fake service executives recently.

In a fresh incident, a resident of Ashok Nagar who had been searching for home delivery services for liquor stumbled upon a false advertisement carrying the name ‘Tonique’- which is touted to be one of the largest liquor stores in Asia.

After contacting a mobile number listed under the advertisement, the resident reportedly received a QR code through WhatsApp and was asked to make a payment of Rs 900 for the liquor to be delivered to his address. However, after the payment, there was no confirmation or response from the contact number, the resident alleged in his complaint to the Cyber and Economic Offenses police.

There is an increase in the number of such reports filed with the cyber police, especially after Covid-19 struck the nation in 2020, sources from the cyber department in the city told News Trail. These fraudsters would modify the coordinates of a company listed on Google and then use Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) methods to make sure these fake contact numbers are listed right at the top of the search results.

“The contact numbers keep changing, making it difficult to track. However,, we have written about this to Google,” the police said. A case has been taken up by the officials and a probe has been initiated to nab the fraudsters.