GUWAHATI: In yet another cybercrime incident, Guwahatians have been duped of thousands of rupees.
A fake post in the name of Kiranshree Sweets and Snacks has been doing the rounds on social media platform which reads "Buy 1 Thali Get 2 Free in Your First Order".
A contact number (9933445320) for booking has also been provided along with the advertisement. Once a customer books a meal by calling on the number, they are asked to pay a small amount online for which an OTP is generated. The fraudsters ask for the OTP in the name of confirmation of the order and instead, they get access to the bank details of the customer.
The fraudsters have duped thousands of rupees from a few people so far. The victims reached out to Kiranshree Sweets and Snacks located in Athgaon and thus, the matter came to light.
"We are surprised to note that some false posts have been uploaded on the social media in the name of our business establishment. We do not know as to who has uploaded the said post/advertisement," Vikash Jain, manager of Kiranshree Sweets and Snacks informed G Plus.
He added that such posts have caused wrongful loss to the restaurant and has maligned their reputation and goodwill.
An FIR has been filed with Bharalumukh police station in this regard and a case (625/2020) has been registered under the IT Act.
“There are various types of cybercrime and phone scams that have been brought to our notice. We try to track the modus operandi of such crimes in order to investigate them. In most cases, it has been found that the victims themselves fall prey to the crime by sharing their personal details and OTPs. We still try to track the criminal and money,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Crime, Barun Purkayastha told G Plus adding that people must be more careful when they come across such tempting offers and always verify their claims.
Recently, there has been a rise in such phone scams and cybercrime incidents in Guwahati. Assam has witnessed over 400% increase in cybercrime cases in the last 5 years.
Speaking to G Plus, Sidharth Bedi Varma, the digital head at a Guwahati-based digital agency said, “Business institution and outlets which have social presence should keep all the contact numbers on the internet updated, otherwise there is a risk of losing potential customers and business not to mention the damage to the brand's reputation.”
