Hyderabad: An elderly woman from Sanathnagar allegedly lost Rs 2.60 lakh after falling victim to a cyber scam linked to a dry fruits advertisement on Instagram, police said.
The woman reportedly came across an advertisement offering dry fruits for home delivery and placed an order worth Rs 1,700. She paid for the order online, following which she received a call from the same number.
The caller allegedly told her that the order would be delivered through cash on delivery and that her earlier payment would be returned. She was then asked to scan a QR code sent to her phone.
Soon after scanning it, Rs 21,700 was deducted from her bank account. When she raised the issue with the caller, she was allegedly assured that the amount would be refunded.
The fraudster subsequently sent another QR code, which the woman scanned. This time, Rs 43,000 was reportedly debited from her account.
According to the police, the callers continued sending QR codes on the pretext of processing refunds. Multiple transactions were allegedly carried out, taking the total amount lost by the woman to around Rs 2.60 lakh.
The woman later realised that she had been defrauded and approached the Cybercrime police. A complaint has been registered and further investigation is underway.
The incident highlights the risks of scanning QR codes received from unknown callers, particularly when they claim to be processing refunds. QR codes used for making payments can result in money being debited when scanned; they should not be treated as a method for receiving refunds.
