Shocking! Rs. 499 Netflix payment causes man to lose a huge Rs. 1.2 lakh; how it was done

If you are looking to renew your Netflix subscription or get a new plan, then beware! Cybercriminals are in search of the best target from which they can steal money while masquerading as a legitimate online subscription portal for Netflix. This has become very clear after an online fraud came to light in which a 75-year-old businessman, Abhinandan Ajmera, who is into plastic printing material in Juhu, Mumbai was trapped. Abhinandan lost his Rs. 1.22 lakh in an online fraud that was actually supposed to cost just Rs. 499 for the Netflix subscription. How did it happen? It happened after he received a malicious email asking him to renew his Netflix subscription. The email threatened that his subscription will be put on hold due to non-payment of the fee. In a rush, Abhinandan did so many things wrong that should never be done while making online payments. He even failed to verify the source of the link and provided details to fraudsters that should remain a secret from everyone.

Later on, the victim informed police that he had received an email around 10 AM on September 16 along with an attached link to pay his Netflix subscription fee. Later, he entered his credit card details and OTP to renew the Netflix subscription. Shockingly, as soon as he provided the details, he received a call to alert him that “you have made a payment of Rs. 1,22,556, please press 8 if you have not done this transaction.” Soon, he pressed 8 on his mobile phone and the said amount got debited from his account.

Later, the investigation revealed that the attached link to the email was a malicious link, police sub-inspector Sanjay Patil of Juhu police station told Hindustan Times. For now, police are trying to trace the IP address of the device of the fraudsters who sent the fraud email and received the bank details of the businesses.

TIPS to avoid an online scam

• Make sure you take steps to safeguard yourself while making online payments in any form while checking the credibility of the links shared.
• Never tap on any link which seems malicious.
• Think before you pay any online amount via new email.
• Check the URL closely, if this looks like any other URL that you clicked earlier from the official website of the company or not.