Mumbai doctor duped of Rs 36000 in boat booking fraud
Mumbai: In an online scam, a Khar-based doctor was duped of Rs 36,791 while attempting to book a boat for her son’s birthday celebration. She wanted to celebrate her birthday on the AB Celestial Boat, a popular dining destination docked at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The doctor lost her money after unknowingly making a reservation through a fraudulent website.
The incident unfolded on August 31, when a 52-year-old medical professional conducted an online search for the AB Celestial Boat’s website. Unaware she had landed on a fake site, she found a contact number and called to inquire about booking the venue for September 1.
The individual on the other end posed as an employee of AB Celestial, informing her that the booking would cost Rs 6,800. When the doctor agreed to proceed with the booking, the accused provided her with a Punjab National Bank account for the payment, instead of the usual digital payment methods. Trusting the transaction method, she transferred Rs 6,800, reports Free Press Journal.
Later, the fraudster instructed her to call back for further confirmation. When she did, he deceitfully told her to complete a process via GPay, which required entering '29991' as a receipt number. Unknowingly, the doctor complied, resulting in Rs 29,991 being deducted from her account. The fraudster claimed an error had occurred and pressured her to repeat the process. At this point, the doctor grew suspicious and demanded the return of the money, but the scammer evaded her requests, reports the Daily.
Realizing she had been duped, she filed a complaint at the Khar police station on September 3. The police promptly registered an FIR and launched an investigation under the Information Technology Act to identify the fraudster. This incident serves as a cautionary tale about the growing threat of online fraud, urging people to be vigilant when making online transactions.
