KOCHI: Sunny M J was a frequent buyer from Amazon and other e-commerce websites. After he noticed his order history on the Amazon app missing, he decided to call customer care to resolve an issue on an order he had placed.
The 61-year-old from Pindimana village in Ernakulam district dialled the number — 08293560358 — that he got from a Google search. He had no clue that that was the mobile number of cyber fraudsters who had managed to get it up on Google. On the direction of the scammers, who introduced themselves as Amazon customer care executives, Sunny installed the QuickSupport software developed by Team Viewer, a remote access app, to inspect the order numbers.
The fraudsters then asked him to share details of the debit card he used to place the orders. With remote access to his phone, they were able to read the OTP number that was received on Sunny’s mobile. Within minutes, they looted Rs 1.54 lakh from two bank accounts.
Unfortunately, the victim learned about the fraud when the bank informed him about an online transaction on his account that he rarely makes. “This is the latest modus operandi of fraudsters. Apps such as AnyDesk or Team Viewer are used by tech-support teams to fix software-related complaints through remote access. But cheaters are using them to loot people. We are getting information on a large number of such cases,” said Latheef M B, SHO, Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police Station.
Latheef said an 82-year-old had similarly lost nearly Rs 5 lakh. “In this case, the scammer sent a fake KSEB link along with a customer care number. When he dialled the number, the fraudster sent a link to install QuickSupport. Nearly Rs 5 lakh was looted in five different transactions,” the officer said.
Police said a West Bengal-based gang is involved. “An intimation has already been sent to the fraudster’s bank account. Based on the bank’s reply, we will initiate steps to recover the amount and book the cheater,” the officer added.