A girl in Chennai ended up losing Rs. 40000 after ordering a Biryani on a food delivery app. A college student, Priya Agarwal who lives in Sowcarpet went with her friends to Vadapalani. She ordered a plate of Biryani via the  food delivery app  . She had paid Rs. 76 for the food but received a message that her order had been cancelled. She did not receive the money that she had paid online. The girl then googled  food delivery app's Customer Service in order to inquire about the same.

Unfortunately, the number which showed up on Google was a fake number belonging to a fraud. Unsuspectingly, Priya called and spoke to the ‘customer care’ operator who went on to collect her bank details. The person told her that Rs. 76 being a small amount would not be refundable online. They suggested that if she paid Rs. 5000, they would refund Rs. 5076. Believing this, Priya sent Rs. 5000 through Google Pay to the number they specified. She did not receive the sum, however.

The fraud who was then aware of the bank details told her that if she shared the OTP she is sent, the money would be credited. When the money still didn’t reach her account, Priya sent the OTPs again and again, 8 times, based on the instructions of the fraud.Every time she revealed the OTP, Priya had been losing Rs. 5000 from her account and the thief stole a total sum of Rs. 40000. The fraud then disappeared ending contact with her. Only then did she realize that it had been a fake number. A complaint was filed at the Vadapalani Police Station and the cops have been investigating the phone number the thief had corresponded from. Such incidents of frauds have been on the increase and it is essential to be careful while using online services, especially when it comes to sharing crucial personal details.