Belagavi: The cyber, economic and narcotics (CEN) police in Belagavi have frozen Rs 1 lakh swindled from a Ganeshpur resident in an online refund scam. The victim, who received a wrong product, contacted a fake customer care number while seeking a return. Fraudsters posing as company executives obtained the victim’s bank details and transferred Rs 1 lakh through two UPI transactions. Prompt reporting helped police freeze the amount before it could be withdrawn.Addressing mediapersons on Saturday, police commissioner Bhushan Borase said the victim, a resident of Ganeshpur in Belagavi, had ordered a product online but received a different item. While attempting to return it, the customer contacted a number believed to be the company’s customer care service. Fraudsters posing as customer care executives allegedly obtained the victim’s bank account details on the pretext of processing a refund. They then transferred Rs 98,000 and Rs 2,000 in two separate UPI transactions, resulting in a total loss of Rs 1 lakh.Borase said the victim reported the incident promptly, enabling the CEN police to freeze the fraudulently transferred amount before it could be withdrawn. The victim can recover the frozen funds by following the prescribed legal procedure through the court.The commissioner also advised the public to verify customer care numbers only through official websites or authorised mobile applications and avoid sharing banking credentials or OTPs with unknown callers to prevent cyber fraud.
