Appalling scam! Woman duped of Rs. 846000 while buying Maharaja Bhog thali on Facebook

A huge number of online sales and discounts have popped up during the festive season. From iPhone to Smart TV and more, most online stores have some kind of offer going on where customers can get extra benefits for making a purchase. And that’s why when a Mumbai-based woman came across an ad about a ‘buy one get one free’ Maharaja Bhog thali on Facebook app for just Rs. 200, she did not bat an eye. But what she did not know was that soon, she will be trapped in a scary online scam that would lead to scamsters stealing Rs. 8.46 lakh from her bank account. Read on to know the details.

According to a report by Indian Express, the 54-year old woman fell for an online scam that was running on Facebook. The fraudsters behind the scam, who remain unidentified at the moment, used the discount spree going on online and used it to dupe innocent people and steal their money. The incident took place on Wednesday and a police complaint has been filed.

Woman loses Rs. 8.46 lakh in an online scam

According to the statement by the woman, she lived with her brother and had bank savings and shares. On Wednesday afternoon, she came across the ad for the Maharaja Bhog thali and clicked on the link. The link took her to a website where she was asked to fill out her bank details and mobile number. Soon after, she received a phone call where a person asked her to fill out her bank details after clicking on another link. This link also asked for her debit card details.

But it didn’t stop there. After doing what the scammer asked, she was again contacted. This time the person on the other end asked her to download and install Zoho Assist, a remote access app. Doing this, the scammer gained remote access to the smartphone of the victim. Soon after, the fraudster transferred Rs. 8.46 lakh to his own account in 27 different transactions. The remote access helped him read the one-time passwords.

The woman realized what had happened on Thursday when she saw the transactions made on her smartphone. She has lodged a complaint against the perpetrators.

Scam lesson for you

Make sure that no matter which online platform you are shopping from, never give your bank details on a page you do not recognize. And under no circumstances should you ever let anyone download or install an app on your device. If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.