Man loses ₹2.47 lakh to fake courier message scam

A 36-year-old resident of Secunderabad was duped of ₹2.47 lakh after receiving a deceptive text message purportedly from DTDC courier, claiming that a second delivery attempt for a parcel had failed.

Believing the message to be genuine, as he was awaiting the delivery of his vehicle’s registration certificate, he clicked on the link provided in the message. Moments later, his phone froze and multiple one-time password (OTP) messages began appearing. Within minutes, he received alerts from his bank informing him that around ₹2.47 lakh had been spent on his credit card without his authorisation.

Realising he had been duped, the victim locked his credit card through the banking app and contacted Kotak Bank’s helpline to block the card and lodge a formal complaint.

Cybercrime officials have urged citizens to remain cautious of such scams, which often masquerade as courier or delivery updates to trick unsuspecting individuals into clicking malicious links that compromise personal and banking data.

Victims of cyber frauds are advised to report incidents immediately via the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or through www.cybercrime.gov.in. For urgent assistance, citizens can also call or WhatsApp 8712665171.