Every day, con artists devise new schemes to deceive others and gain quick money. Many people have lost money due to scams perpetrated by con artists. When consumers try to buy articles on OLX and Quikr, the new means of deceiving them is to send bogus shipment tracking website links.
Fraudsters send out phony tracking website links that display the position of the delivery and persuade clients to make payments to receive it. We'll explain how this fraud was discovered in this blog.
When an engineering student was hunting for camera accessories online, he came upon a Quikr advertisement. He sent a message to the vendor after seeing the posting. Ankita, the seller, contacted him and informed him of the accessories. The seller told him that the entire cost of the additions was Rs 53,000 and demanded payment in advance. The student only paid Rs 21,000 and stated that he would pay the remaining balance after obtaining the product.
The tracking ID and a link were sent to the student as soon as the payment was received. According to the website he verified, the parcel was dispatched from the United Arab Emirates. Using that link, the student continued to trace the cargo. The package arrived in New Delhi the next day, according to records. It also revealed that customs had placed the consignment on hold for Rs 12,600 in Countervailing Duty CVD fees. It even indicated that the money would be returned to the customer.
The student immediately contacted the company and informed him of the customs fees. The merchant persuaded the student to pay the fees by promising a refund. The student spent the money because the website appeared to be legitimate. When he checked the link the next day, he was told he needed to pay Rs 18,000 in importation and clearance fees. The student thought something wasn't quite right and contacted the merchant. The salesman persuaded him to spend the money again, promising that he would be reimbursed. The student indicated that he had not received payment and requested that the merchandise be delivered as soon as possible.
The student suspected something was wrong and went to the official website to type in the tracking ID. However, it yielded no results. He reopened the link he received from the merchant and compared it to the original website's content. It was then that he understood it was a bogus website. When he realized he had been duped, he went to the police station and filed a report. They stopped the accused's bank account so that no money could be withdrawn.
If you are not dissatisfied with a product or service? Simply go to savefromfrauds.com's complaint portal. We post articles and videos regularly to raise awareness about fraudulent operations.