₹899 purchase becomes ₹5.41 lakh fraud:’Payment failed’ excused used to take money; police say number found via Google

Online shopping proved costly for a businessman in Indore, who was duped of ₹5.41 lakh while trying to order a body massager worth ₹899. Following a complaint, Palasia police have registered a case and begun an investigation. According to Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotiya, Sarthak, a businessman from the Palasia area, saw a body massager priced at ₹899 on Google and made an online payment through the website. After some time, he received a call claiming that the transaction had failed and that he needed to make the payment again. As soon as he paid again, ₹20,000 was debited from his account. Fraud Repeated Under ‘Process’ Pretext The fraudsters then made him carry out 10–11 more transactions by citing different reasons. Each time, they used the excuse of “process” or “failed transaction” to extract money. In this way, a total of ₹5.41 lakh was withdrawn from his account. After repeated deductions, the businessman realised he had been cheated and lodged a complaint at the police station. Police registered a case and started an investigation. Accounts Blocked Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotiya said that the bank accounts where the money was transferred have been blocked and their details are being examined. Police Advisory: Be Cautious with Google Searches According to police, many cyber fraudsters use SEO techniques to push their phone numbers and fake websites to the top of Google search results. People trust these and fall victim to fraud.