Beware while searching for phone numbers on Internet; it could be a trap

Lucknow, February 17

It may seem rather convenient to search for a phone number on search engine but not many realise that this could be a trap set up by miscreants.

Two recent incidents prove this.

In the first case, a man was duped of Rs 71,000 when he surfed the Internet to find the number of a hospital. His wife had fallen ill and he called up the number for consultation.

The victim, Bhagwandin, was asked to deposit Rs 10 through Phonepe to get the patient’s registration done for consultation with a doctor of Indiranagar.

Since the victim told the miscreant that he cannot make the payment through the app, on which the miscreant asked him to share the bank account number, which he did.

He was asked to download the QuickSupport app and pay Rs 10 through the app. A little later the victim got an OTP on his registered mobile number and the miscreant asked him to share it.

“I was given a registration number and was asked to visit the hospital the next day at 10 a.m. to consult the doctor there. However, when I reached there, I was told that the hospital did not do any advance registration and gave consultation to the patients on visit only,” he said.

After his wife was admitted, the man went to an ATM to withdraw the money, he came to know that Rs 71,755 had been withdrawn from his bank account.

SHO, Indiranagar, Chhatrapal Singh, said that an FIR has been registered and assistance of cyber cell has been sought for the probe.

In another case, a resident of Aminabad was duped of over Rs 64,000 in the name of purchase of sweets from a prominent shop in Sadar locality under Cantonment.

The victim, Ashok Kumar Bansal, placed an online order for sweets from the shop after he searched the mobile number of the shop on Google. He said that the person who took the call asked him to furnish details of his bank account for the payment.

“I paid Rs 64,110 for the order but when I reached the shop to take the order, I came to know that the mobile number was fake, and I have been made a victim of fraud,” said Bansal.

Superintendent of Police, Cyber cell, Triveni Singh, said that when a user downloads this type of (Quick Support) app, they give all the permissions to the app.

“Permissions include access to all other apps, gallery, and contact lists. With this permission, miscreants take remote access to the phone. When any electronic device is on remote access, the person who has taken the remote access can clearly see all the activity on the device,” he added.

While the victim is busy filling his name, number and paying Rs 10 as service charge, miscreants can watch the pin code, which is then used to withdraw the money later.

IANS