Fraudsters Cheat 1.1 Crore From Myntra Through Refund Option
Bengaluru, India: Fraudsters never miss smallest of the loopholes to cash in. Recent prey to scam were e-commerce platforms. Myntra, a Flipkart subsidiary, approached police alleging that it was cheated of Rs 1.1 crore between March and June this year fraudsters who misused the complaints/refund option provided by the platform.
Reportedly, the firm has lost Rs 50 crore to scammers nationwide. The fraudsters would place orders for branded shoes, apparel and other merchandise such as handbags, cosmetics, watches and jewellery on the firm’s app or portal. Most of the orders are in bulk. They would make payments through online or opt for cash on delivery (COD) option.
After the firm delivered their orders to given address, they would raise complaints stating that the number of products they received was less than what they had ordered. Complaints like the product received was different from what had been ordered, was fake, or was just not delivered, were also raised.
Also Read: Myntra Expands Into Beauty And Home Decor: CEO Nandita Sinha
Myntra features an option for customers to raise complaints and claim refunds. The options included shortage, colour mismatch, or not the same order. The firm would initiate the refund process after receiving complaints.
After receiving 10 pairs of shoes they ordered, the fraudsters would claim that they received only five pairs. A refund would be claimed for the remaining five pairs of shoes that they paid for while placing the order online or by using COD option, said police, as reported by media.
Sardar MS, Myntra Designs enforcement officer, told police that the loss occurred from about 5,529 fraudulent orders delivered to different addresses across Bengaluru, and came under their notice during audit. The amounts were claimed to different bank accounts.
While the company wanted to to lodge a complaint for the entire loss across the country, Bengaluru police asked it to file a complaint only with regard to losses they suffered in city deliveries. One police officer claimed that a gang in Rajasthan is involved in the fraud.
Also Read: Citizens Lost Around Rs 11,333 Crore To Cyber Frauds In 2024
Almost all the fraudulent orders were placed from Jaipur, said media report. The fraudsters gave addresses in Bengaluru and other metros for delivery. A few orders were delivered to commercial establishments such as tea stalls, tailor shops, or provision or stationery stores, as per the report.
Cybercrime police recently arrested three miscreants from Surat in Gujarat for cheating another e-commerce firm Meesho. The cheated the firm to tune in Rs 5.5 crore in the guise of suppliers and customers.
The case was registered under Information Technology Act and IPC Sections 419 (cheating by personation ) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and an investigation is under progress.
