Online Kurti Shopping Scam Exposes a Massive Cyber Fraud Network

A Delhi University student’s complaint over an undelivered kurti ordered online has led police to uncover an alleged cyber fraud network involving transactions worth more than ₹30 crore. Fatima, a student from Uttar Pradesh, came across a kurti advertisement while watching Instagram Reels and placed an order through the shopping account. She initially paid ₹400 using a QR code shared on WhatsApp. Later, fraudsters allegedly contacted her regarding parcel delivery and asked her to share a passcode received on her phone. They subsequently persuaded her to transfer ₹1,150, ₹2,000, ₹2,650 and ₹650 on the pretext of processing fees, promising to refund the amounts. When the parcel was not delivered and the money was not returned, she realised she had been cheated. Following her complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, an FIR was registered at the North District Cyber Police Station and an investigation was launched.

During the investigation, police traced the payments made through different QR codes to an account held with Canara Bank. They detained a suspect linked to the account and, based on information provided by him, arrested five more people. According to officials, the accused were linked to 27 cyber fraud complaints across different states. Investigators found that 25 bank accounts opened in the names of fictitious companies and individuals had allegedly been used to route more than ₹30 crore. Police suspect that these accounts were used to channel proceeds from cybercrime and are continuing their investigation into the network.