Doctor seeks 113 refund from cab service, loses 5L

Doctor seeks 113 refund from cab service, loses 5L

Nov 21, 2023, 03.38 AM IST

New Delhi: A doctor who wanted a refund of Rs 113 from a cab service company lost Rs 4.9 lakh in a digital fraud when he rang up what he believed was a customer support number.

Pradeep Chowdhury, of Arjun Nagar in Safdarjung Enclave, wrote in his police complaint that he had taken a cab to Gurgaon for work. “He had booked a cab for Rs 205, but after the ride was over, he was charged Rs 318,” a police source said.

The doctor asked the cabbie why he had been overcharged Rs 113. The cab driver informed Chowdhury that he could obtain a refund by contacting the cab service's customer care.

Chowdhury immediately searched the internet and found a phone number that claimed to belong to the cab company.

He made the phone call. The person who answered the call posed as a customer care representative of the cab service and asked him about his problem. Chowdhury said he told the man about the incident and requested a refund.

His call was transferred to another person, who identified himself as Rakesh Mishra.

Mishra asked Chowdhury to download a remote sensing application and then asked him to open his e-wallet. He told him to type the refund amount. “He then asked the victim to type the first six digits of his phone numbers in the field where people typically enter the amount in the wallet and send it to him. The victim asked why he had to do this. Mishra told him it was the verification process,” a Delhi Police source said.

Chowdhury typed in what he was asked to do. He also gave his OTP to the Mishra. Four transactions were made and the frauds duped him of Rs 4.9 lakh.

A case under IPC section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 66 D of the IT act have been registered. The official suspects that the scammers posted the fake customer care number of the company online, and Chowdhury fell into the trap while searching for the cab company's customer care number. “We have formed teams to crack the case,” the officer said.