Cyber frauds exploit loophole in e-commerce firm website to dupe buyers, arrested

Three young men, who allegedly exploited a loophole on an e-commerce firm's website to make online shoppers pay them instead of the company for their purchases, have been arrested for cyber fraud, police said Tuesday.

The accused provided shoppers links to purchase branded mobile phones at heavily discounted prices from Amazon, a senior official said. 

"They exploited a loophole in the Amazon website that allowed them to take screenshot of booked products which they sent to gullible buyers, saying their product has been booked at a discounted rate. They then asked the customers to make the payment to them but the customer would never get their products," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Noida, Ankur Aggarwal said. 

He said the accused have been identified as Abdul Hannan, Suheb Hasan, both from Moradabad, and Nishant Alam, from Greater Noida.

"The accused are young men, one or two of them are college drop outs. They have been staying in Noida on a rented flat in Sector 137 and operated from there," Aggarwal told reporters.

The racket was busted after a man approached the Phase 2 police station, claiming he had been duped by some people who tricked him into paying ₹3 lakh, according to the officer.

An FIR was lodged on the basis of this complaint and an investigation launched with the Cyber Cell also being roped in for the probe that led to the unveiling of the fraud, police said.

Police recovered from the trio illegally-gotten ₹1,22,000 in cash, nine mobile phones and impounded a motorcycle worth ₹2,50,000, according to a police statement. 

The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), among others, as well as under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, police said.