Appointment scam hits Mumbai’s psychologists: Fraudsters use fake payment screenshots to demand refunds

MUMBAI: Clinical psychologists in Mumbai are reporting a payment scam where they are being targeted by fraudsters posing as patients. The caller takes an appointment for therapy over phone or text, and claims he is making prepayment online.He shares a screenshot of the transaction, but later cancels the appointment and seeks a refund. The catch: The screenshot is fake and the payment was never made. “The scammer rushes the counsellor into making a refund. If one proceeds with it without verification, one ends up losing money,” said a counsellor who was defrauded, and did not wish to be identified.Psychologist Kiran Makhijani said a scammer got abusive when she clarified that a refund couldn’t be made aspayment was never received.

“This individual conversed with me entirely over texts. She claimed she wasn’t from Mumbai and had got my reference during a visit to a reputed hospital here,” said Makhijani. After the individual insisted on making an online prepayment for a counselling appointment, Makhijani shared aQR code. She received a photo with transaction details.Later, the patient said her husband had taken an appointment with another doctor, so she wanted a refund.

“When we informedthat no payment had been received, the individual became aggressive, used abusive language and falsely accused us of cheating. As professionals working with integrity, such interactions are upsetting,” she said. Psychologist Alisha Lalljee said templates for making fake payment screenshots are easily available online. “I was approached by scammers posing as patients on two separate occasions.

They were quick to inquire about fees and appointment slots, without going into details about the therapy session,” said Lalljee.“The image had transaction details, time and even the sender’s phone battery status. The image appeared authentic but no money was received. I uploaded the screenshot to an online image recognition tool and discovered that it was made from a template,” said Lalljee.