A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly defrauding a person by sending a link to his mobile number requesting registration fee payment for hospital appointment, police said on Sunday. On June 8, Dev Sagar Singh lodged a complaint against unidentified persons regarding online fraud of Rs 99,999.
The accused has been identified as Raj Gupta, a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad, UP, police said.
Singh alleged that in order to get an appointment in a hospital, he found a number on the Internet. When he contacted that number, the person at the other end asked him to pay Rs 10 as registration fee. The complainant paid the amount, a senior police officer told news agency PTI.
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Later, the suspect sent him another link through WhatsApp and requested Singh to follow the link to fix his appointment. The complainant clicked the link only to realise that Rs 99,999 were debited from his bank account, the officer said.
During the investigation, the cheated amount was found to be credited into the account of Gupta. The registered mobile number was found deactivated. On Wednesday, the location of the accused was traced to Loni in Ghaziabad. Later, Gupta was apprehended and taken into police custody.
However, this scam is not an isolated incident, there are several financial scams being reported from time to time, which have drained the money of victims. Scammers are always coming up with new ways to trick people. By staying informed about the latest scams, you’ll be less likely to fall victim to one.
Steps to protect yourself from such scams;
- In the above case, the person was defrauded on the pretext of a hospital appointment. In such a situation, make sure that you do not click on any link sent by anyone for booking any appointment, especially when you don’t know the person.
- Always book your appointments, travel, movie tickets from the official websites of the service providers. If you are not sure, consult someone.
- Always verify the sender’s identity before clicking on any link sent to you on WhatsApp. Be cautious of links from unknown or suspicious contacts.
- Hover over the link to view the actual URL destination before clicking. Fraudsters may hide malicious URLs behind hyperlinked text.
- Be careful about clicking on links in messages. Even if the link looks like it comes from a legitimate source, it could be a scam. If you’re not sure if a link is safe, don’t click on it.
- Don’t share your personal information with anyone you don’t know and trust. This includes your bank account number, credit card number and passwords. Scammers can use this information to steal your identity or money.
By following the precautions, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to link click frauds and enhance your overall online security. Remember to stay informed and trust your instincts when something seems suspicious.
(With PTI inputs)
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