Bhubaneswar: A city-based man saved himself from being duped by online fraudsters recently due to his alertness and quick thinking.
According to media reports, Trinath Maharana had come across an online advertisement of a lucrative meal offer at a reputed restaurant in Bhubanewar. The advertisement had a hyperlink attached to it.
Maharana reportedly clicked on the link, entered his personal details and paid Rs 10 as membership fee. Soon, a person called Maharana on his mobile phone and asked him to create a profile by downloading an app.
Maharana followed the instructions to register on the app. But minutes later, he received an SMS alert for a purchase of Rs 9,999 from his credit card. He immediately realised that this was some kind of cyber fraud and called the bank to block his credit card.
He has also lodged a police complaint in this regard. Police suspect that the online fraudsters in this case are based outside Odisha.
Cyber security experts have warned that people should be very alert while interacting with online advertisements and verify the one-time password (OTP), its origin and validity while making payments over the internet.
They added that some other hotels and food joints in the state have also been affected by such online frauds.
