Bengaluru resident orders pizza on app, ends up losing Rs 95K in online scam

A city techie was left poorer by Rs 95,000 as he
fell victim to online fraudsters after ordering a pizza, leaving a bad
aftertaste in his mouth.

N.V. Sheikh of Bengaluru’s Koramangala used a food
delivery app on his smartphone to order a pizza on December 1 afternoon, sources
said.

After the meal was not delivered even an hour after
the order was placed, he looked for the customer care service of the food mart.
When he called up, he was reportedly told by the man on the other end that the
order was not being accepted by eateries and that a refund would be made.

The man allegedly told Sheikh that he would receive
a phone message, and his refund request would be processed once he clicked on a
link provided.

Madiwala Police said that when Sheikh did as
directed, he became a victim of online scam. The fraudsters accessed his bank
account details, and left him poorer by Rs 95,000 within minutes.

Sheikh filed a complaint with the Madiwala Police
who are now investigating the matter. The victim was said to be saving the
money for his mother’s cancer treatment.

A spokesperson of the food delivery company said
that it did not have a calling service for customer care but only chat and
email.

In November, another Bengaluru resident had lost
around Rs 85,000 in a payment app scam.