QR code fraud on the rise, warn cops

Express News Service

KOCHI: The police have requested the general public to deal with cash transactions utilizing Quick Response (QR) codes on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform with care as cyber fraudsters are on the prowl to siphon off funds from their financial institution accounts. Kochi City police have discovered a number of instances wherein cybercriminals swindled cash from individuals who used UPI for his or her financial institution transactions in several components of the state and the nation.

A number of weeks again, an alert on this regard was given by Kochi City police on their Facebook web page. “Cyber fraudsters are adopting new strategies to cheat individuals and achieve cash. For this mode of dishonest, they principally goal merchants and actual property brokers. First, they make contacts with merchants and make enquiries concerning the merchandise.

After taking the focused sufferer into confidence, they search the cellular quantity to switch cash for the product by way of UPI. Later, they declare that the switch couldn’t happen and they might ship a QR code to the sufferer’s cellular quantity and ask the particular person to scan the QR code. Once the QR code is scanned, the cash will get deducted from the sufferer’s account,” an official with the Cyber police station in Kochi stated.

In the Facebook alert, the Kochi City police additionally gave the testimony of a Kakkanad native who was focused by the gang. The Kakkanad native is into the actual property enterprise. Following an enquiry, he contacted an individual recognized as Randeep who launched himself as an officer working with the Indian Army. He instructed the realtor that he was on the lookout for an condo after being transferred to Kochi. He agreed to pay the advance quantity for the condo by way of UPI.

“The victim gave the mobile number and bank account details for making an online money transfer or UPI transaction. Later, Randeep called and told the Kakkanad native that he had sent a QR code that should be scanned and details from it should be shared to complete the transaction. However, due to internet connectivity issues, the QR code could not be scanned. Later, the realtor suspected that it could be a cheating attempt and reported it to the police,” the officer stated.

Police suspect the involvement of cyber legal gangs primarily based in North India behind it. “Like in most cyber cheating cases in which money is fraudulently withdrawn, we suspect gangs based in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand behind it. Such attempts can be curtailed only if people handle transactions, carefully. People using UPI should understand that no password or QR code scanning is required to receive money. These procedures are required only for transferring the money by oneself,” the official stated. Earlier,  fraudulent cash transactions have been made after asking for credit score/debit card numbers posing as financial institution officers .