Cyber Crime
Buying/Renting House? Beware Of Cyber Criminals Using QR Code For Cheating Consumers
With criminals finding newer and improved ways to con consumers every now and then, being vigilant and extra cautious is the need of the hour today.
For example – if today, you intend to use a real estate broker site to find a suitable renter or buyer for your real estate property, you must beware of cyber criminals.
There have been cases where online fraudsters have used realty broker portals to commit fraud by posing as buyers or renters. They will confuse you by diluting your concentration and fish out your confidential information by asking you to click on the given link or scan the QR code, for example.
A victim who shared his recent experience with a cyber criminal, said, “I was trying to rent out a property and posted it on a real estate broker website. Within a few minutes, I received a phone call from someone posing as an Army officer. He insisted on completing the transaction as soon as possible, requested photos of the property, and stated that he is satisfied with the property.”
“I received his PAN card, army canteen card, and Aadhaar card right away. The caller then insisted on sharing my Gpay number, which was linked to my bank account, in order for him to transfer the two months rent in advance. In fact, he also requested my UPI account number, which I provided.”
According to cybercrime experts, there is no need to scan any QR code or click on any given link in order to accept money. In fact, a receiver does not need to do anything to receive money; it is the sender’s responsibility to follow the rules and guidelines governing online money transfers.
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“Later on, the caller said that he is sending 5 into my account as a test transfer,” the property owner continued. When the money arrives in my account, he will transfer the remaining funds to my account via UPI. To my surprise, he sent me a QR code that I needed to scan. But, before scanning the QR code, I transferred my entire balance to my other bank. Thus the transaction kept failing again and again and the caller after being seriously infuriated disconnected the call.”
Amit Dubey, a cyber crime expert based in New Delhi, explained how online QR code fraud works.
“In QR code scan fraud, an unknown person calls the potential victim and requests that they scan the given QR code in order to receive the money. However, the receiver must keep in mind that he or she does not need to scan or click on any given link in order to receive money. It is used to transfer funds to the accounts of others.”
Online fraudsters can obtain all of your credentials, such as your bank account, customer ID, PAN card, and Aadhaar card number, with a single click. Experts advised money receivers to be cautious and keep these things in mind when making such a transaction with an unknown person.
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