A 47-year-old homemaker from Dadar, who only wanted to sell her daughter’s old books online, allegedly ended up losing nearly Rs 1.55 lakh to cyber fraudsters using the notorious “QR code trick.”

According to the police, the gang targeted her after she uploaded an advertisement on OLX on September 2 to sell her daughter’s old books, valued at Rs 13,800. Soon after, she received a call from a man claiming to be “Jaykishan Book Store,” who said he wanted to buy all the books.

The fraudster sent her a QR code and asked her to scan it to receive payment. Unaware of the trap, she scanned the code and immediately lost Rs 13,800. When she questioned him, he brushed it off as a “technical error” and asked her to try again. She complied, losing another Rs 27,600.

Over multiple calls and repeated persuasion, the woman was tricked into scanning QR codes eight times across three bank accounts, leading to debits of Rs 48,000, Rs 9500, Rs 49,999, and finally Rs 6000 more. In total, she lost Rs 1,54,899 in one day.

“The accused manipulated her systematically, making her believe that scanning QR codes was the only way to recover her earlier losses. They even introduced an accomplice posing as a senior officer, or ‘bade sahab,’ who promised refunds but drained even more money by sending her a new QR code,” said a police official.

The fraudsters used at least four mobile numbers and a fake UPI ID to siphon off the funds. The victim realised the fraud only the next day, when she rushed to her bank and later filed a complaint through the national cybercrime portal. On September 11, she lodged a formal FIR at Dadar police station.

Police have booked the unidentified accused under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. 

Investigations are underway to track the trail of phone numbers and UPI IDs used in the scam.

1930
National cyber helpline number

What is QR code trick?

Fraudsters pretend they are transferring money to the victim and send a QR code on WhatsApp or SMS, claiming it will credit the victim’s account. In reality, the QR codes the fraudsters send are only for sending money. Once the victim scans the code and enters their UPI PIN, money is debited from their account and transferred to the fraudster.

Police advisory

Police urge citizens never to scan QR codes or click suspicious links sent by strangers. They also stressed that the first two hours after a cyber fraud — the “golden hour” — are critical for freezing stolen funds. Victims should immediately call the national cyber helpline 1930.

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