A new type of fraud is targeting individuals in the name of online shopping platform Amazon. Scammers are sending unordered items to customers' homes and asking for payment upon delivery. The unsuspecting customers, believing that someone they know must have sent the items, end up paying. However, upon opening the parcels, they found low-value items for which they were charged a higher amount.
Here’s what happened
One recent case occurred in Udyog Vihar Society, Sector 82, Noida. A delivery person arrived at a flat claiming to have a parcel from Amazon. While the recipient's details were correct, the parcel lacked the sender's information. The women in the flat, assuming it was a gift from a relative, paid for the parcel. Later, they discovered that no one in the family had ordered the items, and they did not recognize the sender's name. The items inside the parcel were worth far less than the amount paid.
Upon contacting Amazon's customer service, no details of the sender could be found. After complaining, they were told to expect an update within two days.
To their surprise, the same delivery person returned to the same flat within 24 hours, attempting the same fraudulent scheme. This time, the head of the family was present and questioned the delivery person. When confronted, the delivery person became nervous. He contacted someone on calls and told the victim that they would not face any trouble in the future.
Upon the customer's suspicion, they took a photo of the delivery person's bike. However, the number plate was partially obscured, making it impossible to identify the delivery person.
How victims got to know about the fraud
After contacting Amazon, it was confirmed that the deliveries were fraudulent through the bar code of the previous day's parcel. The victim's family has filed a report with UP's cybercrime helpline, with acknowledgment number 33110240123615.
This serves as a warning to everyone to stay vigilant. If such incidents occur, it is crucial to report them to cybercrime authorities immediately.
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