A 19-year-old from Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, has fallen prey to a QR code phishing scam, resulting in a loss of over Rs15 lakh. The young man, who comes from a builder’s family and is studying business management at a prestigious institute in Vile Parle, was seeking accommodation near his college to avoid long daily commutes.
According to his statement to the Kharghar police, he discovered a website on Google that purported to assist in finding rental properties. After reaching out to a number listed on the site, he met with the scammer, who assured him he would secure housing in his desired location for an initial payment of Rs10,000. The scammer then sent him a QR code for the transaction.
The accused, identified as Deepak Chavan, manipulated the situation by claiming that several payment attempts had failed, prompting the victim to make multiple transfers. In total, the young man transferred Rs15,84,095.
Initially, the victim was informed that the first transaction was unsuccessful, which led him to attempt the payment again. Each subsequent transaction was also reported as failed, with the scammer urging him to make combined payments, assuring him that any funds debited would be refunded if he couldn’t find suitable accommodation.
The scam spanned from September 24 to October 13, with the victim transferring money to ten different bank accounts. The funds came from his father’s savings, held in his name. When the victim realized he had been scammed and sought to recover his money, the fraudster manipulated him into sending even more, promising to refund the total amount.
A complaint has been filed with the Kharghar police under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act 2000, which addresses impersonation, as well as sections 318(2)(4) and 319(2) of the Indian Penal Code, related to cheating, which can lead to imprisonment of up to three years.