Bengaluru Woman Duped Of Rs 98,000 In Refund Scam

The woman's ordeal began when she received a damaged packet of curd from a Blinkit delivery and decided to pursue a refund through official channels. In her search for customer service contact details, she inadvertently connected with fraudsters impersonating representatives of the e-commerce platform, initiating a chain of events that would lead to substantial financial loss.

The scammers employed social engineering tactics to gain the victim's trust and access to her financial information. Over the course of their interaction, they manipulated her into making multiple transfers, eventually defrauding her of Rs 98,000. The fraudsters exploited her desire to resolve a legitimate complaint to convince her to share sensitive banking details and payment credentials.

The incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of consumers attempting to address customer service issues online. Security experts caution that fraudsters routinely target legitimate customer grievances, using them as entry points to gain access to personal and financial data. Authorities have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter.

The incident serves as a reminder for consumers to verify contact information directly through official website portals rather than relying on search results, and to remain vigilant against unsolicited requests for financial or personal information during customer service interactions.

Photo: A Blinkit delivery scooter in Hitech City, Hyderabad, November 2025. Syced via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).