The daughter of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was recently defrauded of Rs 34,000 by an internet con artist while trying to sell an old couch set on OLX. As unbelievable as it may seem, these kinds of scams have proliferated on e-commerce platforms, where thieves prey on people who are ignorant of online payment methods. One of the main targets of these frauds is the online marketplace OLX, where people from all around the nation have complained about being conned.In the most recent instance, the Civil Lines Police Station, which is close to the CM house, received a complaint. The police have begun their search for the accused after filing a complaint of cheating.

What happened with Arvind Kejriwal’s daughter?

Harshita Kejriwal, daughter of the Chief Minister of Delhi, attempted to sell a used couch on the well-known sale-purchase online site OLX. She graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Delhi) with a degree in chemical engineering. An prospective buyer contacted her through the platform, and they decided to close a deal. Harshita received a QR code from the impostor, which she was instructed to scan in order to get the money. In order to prove his legitimacy, he first made a tiny deposit into her account. Afterwards, two consecutive debits of Rs 20,000 and Rs 14,000 totaling Rs 34,000 were made from her account.

How this scam works?

In this kind of scam, like with the daughter of the Delhi Chief Minister, scammers employ Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, after winning over the victim's confidence. With applications like Google Pay, PhonePe, and others becoming more and more popular, UPI has become one of the easiest methods to transfer money. It is quick, straightforward, and easy. Nevertheless, scammers are taking advantage of consumers' ignorance of the feature's technological limitations to defraud them.Under the guise of purchasing the item the victim has mentioned, the scammers either send a QR code or ask for money. On the grounds that they don't want to lose out on the offer, they occasionally exhibit needless eagerness and are prepared to pay even before inspecting the item. The goal is to deceive the user in any scenario. The user is asked by the scammer to either accept the payment request or scan the QR code in order for the transaction to proceed.

How can one prevent this kind of fraud?

On e-commerce platforms, users must maintain composure and composure when conducting such transactions. It is best for them to evaluate everything before agreeing to any payment requests. The main thing to remember is that, in order to make a payment, users of all UPI apps must enter their UPI PIN or M-PIN, which varies depending on which connected bank account they are using. Payment acceptance does not necessitate this. Therefore, it should be the first indicator if the app prompts you to enter this PIN once you've scanned the QR code. Avoid entering the code and ending the purchase. This also applies to the submitted payment requests. Before taking the money out, they also ask users for their M-PIN.

The procedure is straightforward, but awareness is needed. They first send Rs. 10 by stating that it is a test payment, which is quickly credited. Then, they ask for a larger amount by providing a QR code that requires 2FA (UPI PIN). According to noted cyber security expert and researcher Amit Dubey, India Today Tech, "the users fail to understand that only debit will request authentication in the form of OTP, password, MPIN, or UPI PIN-depending upon mode of payment chosen."

On a payment site, carefully study the message before approving any request. Most of the time, the text should get the scammers' attention. Please feel free to decline if you are not persuaded.