A 56-year-old Bengaluru homemaker lost Rs 98,000 in a fake refund scam after seeking help for a damaged curd packet ordered through quick-commerce platform Blinkit, according to a complaint registered with the Central Cyber Crime police.
The woman, identified as Soundarya in the complaint, lives in an apartment on Palace Cross Road in Vasanth Nagar. She had ordered the curd packet online on October 17 and found it damaged when it was delivered. After raising the issue with the delivery agent, she was asked to contact customer care.
Instead of using an official support channel, she searched online and called a number that appeared to be associated with customer service. The person who answered allegedly promised to arrange a refund and sent her a link through WhatsApp. She was instructed to upload a photograph of the damaged packet through the link.
The complaint states that another person later contacted her and said the refund would be processed. The caller asked her to open her digital payment account and check the balance. When she entered her password, the application disappeared from her phone screen, the woman told police.
Soon afterwards, Rs 98,000 was deducted from her bank account. She realised that she had been deceived and approached the police, seeking action against those responsible. The Central Cyber Crime police have registered a case and are investigating.
The incident shows how a routine consumer complaint can be redirected into a fraud when users rely on customer-care numbers found through general internet searches. In this case, the fraudsters used the damaged product, a promised refund and a WhatsApp link to obtain access to the victim’s payment-related information.
The complaint also highlights the risk created when support for digital services is separated from the platforms’ verified in-app or official communication channels. A customer attempting to resolve a small delivery problem was instead drawn into a sequence involving an externally found phone number, a messaging link and a request to enter account credentials.
Police have not disclosed details about the persons behind the calls or whether the money can be recovered. The case remains under investigation by the Central Cyber Crime police, who will examine the digital communication, the payment transaction and the links used in the alleged fraud.
