‘Pizza ordered online’ man loses Rs 95k in scam

Bengaluru: A city techie was left poorer by Rs 95,000 as he fell victim to online fraudsters after ordering a pizza, leaving a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

N.V. Sheikh of Bengaluru’s Koramangala used a food delivery app on his smartphone to order a pizza on December 1 afternoon, The News Minute reported.

After the meal was not delivered even an hour after the order was placed, he looked for the customer care service of the food mart. When he called up, he was reportedly told by the man on the other end that the order was not being accepted by eateries and that a refund would be made.

The man allegedly told Sheikh that he would receive a phone message, and his refund request would be processed once he clicked on a link provided therein.

Madiwala Police said that when Sheikh did as directed, he became a victim of phishing. The fraudsters accessed his bank account details, and left him poorer by Rs 95,000 within minutes.

Sheikh filed a complaint with the Madiwala Police who are now investigating the matter. The victim was said to be saving the money for his mother’s cancer treatment.

A spokesperson of the food delivery company said that it did not have a calling service for customer care but only chat and email.

“While we make all efforts to ensure customer safety and security, we urge our customers to be vigilant and not share personal or bank account details with anyone,” the spokesperson was quoted by the news report.

In November, another Bengaluru resident had lost around Rs 85,000 in a payment app scam.