Odisha: Cyber Fraudster Poses as Army Officer, Empties Bank Account of Poultry Seller

Paradip: A poultry seller was duped of Rs 20,600 by a cyber fraudster posing as an Indian Army officer in Paradip. Operating under the guise of a military official, the scammer contacted Prashant, who owns a poultry counter at the Nehru Bangalow market complex.

The fraudster informed the victim, identified as Prashant Badoi that a team of Indian Army officers would be stationed in Paradip for 15 days and required a daily supply of 15 kg of chicken. Agreeing to the request, Prashant prepared the specified amount of chicken and contacted the fraudster for payment on the designated day.

The scam unfolded when the fraudster allegedly sent Prashant a QR code, purportedly for verification purposes on PhonePe. Believing it to be a legitimate transaction, Prashant scanned the code. However, within an hour of this action, his bank account was completely emptied.

Describing the incident, Prashant explained, “He (the fraudster) asked for my registered PhonePe number. After providing it, he claimed my number wasn’t displaying on his end. Subsequently, he sent me a QR code, instructing me to send Rs 5 by scanning it so that he could refund me on that number.”

“Upon scanning the QR code and sending Rs 5, my bank account linked to PhonePe was suddenly drained. Out of the Rs 20,627 in my account, Rs 20,600 was deducted,” he added.

Following the cyber fraud, Prashant promptly filed a complaint at the Paradip Marine Police Station. Despite attempts, no comments were obtained from the police regarding the ongoing investigation.