Electric hookah orders cost more than Rs 4 lakh

A 21-year-old private employee cheated over Rs 4.26 crore after buying electric hookah online.

The victim placed an order for the item on April 28, priced at Rs 3,000 and paid online. Within an hour after purchase, the victim received a call in which the caller forged as a representative of the website, wrongly claimed that the product was ready for dispatch and requested an additional payment of Rs 2,999 as a delivery fee and ensured that the amount would be refunded upon successful delivery. Trust the caller’s assurance, victim payment.

Another person then contacted the victim and informed him that the initial payment was facing various merchant banking problems. Under the guise of handling refunds, the fraudster convinced the victim to make multiple payments.

Despite suspicion, the victim trusted the program after a call from “IDFC Bank Representative”, who assured him that the refund process was in progress and was completed soon. The victim transferred the funds to the bank account number provided by the fraudster.

Despite compliance with all additional payment requirements, the victim received neither the electric Vape hookah nor the refund of the order. It is at this point that the victim realized that the website was fraudulent and that the delivery tracking number provided was also false. The victim filed an online complaint.