Hyderabad: Senior citizen from Erragadda loses around Rs 2 lakhs from fake Blinkit customer care

Hyderabad: A 76-year-old retired employee from New Sastry Nagar in Erragadda fell prey to an online scam losing a significant sum of almost Rs 2 lakhs. He became the victim of a scam during his search for a phone number to contact the customer service of Blinkit, an app-based instant delivery service.

According to the case details, it all began when the victim, Babu Rao, ordered eight servings of chicken soup through the Blinkit app. However, he was disappointed when he only received seven servings. Frustrated with the incomplete order, he sought assistance from the customer service helpline.

Desperate for a resolution, Babu Rao made an online search for the Blinkit app’s helpline number. He found a number listed among the search results but couldn’t connect through it. In an unexpected twist, he received a call from an individual who identified himself as Arvind Kumar, claiming to be a customer service representative from Blinkit. Kumar assured Babu Rao that he would address the issue and process a refund.

Trusting Kumar’s assurances, Babu Rao shared sensitive information, including his bank details during the call. Kumar cunningly coerced the elderly man into divulging crucial information.

Shortly after sharing his details, Babu Rao noticed messages on his phone informing him of multiple amounts debited from his bank account. In the end, a total of Rs 1,94,399 was fraudulently withdrawn from his bank account through a series of One-Time Passwords (OTPs) generated which the fraudster got access to due to the private information given by Babu Rao.

Realising he had fallen victim to a scam, Babu Rao filed a complaint with the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police. A case was registered, and police are investigating the matter to bring the perpetrators to justice.