A 62-year-old man from Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, lost ₹1.36 lakh after falling victim to a online fraud involving impersonation of Amazon customer care and an OTP-based banking scam. The victim had placed an order on Amazon on November 14 and later received a call from an unknown person claiming the order was cancelled due to an incorrect delivery address.
Believing the caller, he placed a second order, which was again not delivered. On November 22, he looked up the internet for Amazon customer care and dialled a toll-free number that turned out to be fake. Soon after, he received WhatsApp calls from unidentified numbers, where callers posing as Amazon support demanded a ₹10 “verification fee” and asked him to share an OTP. Trusting them, he complied, unknowingly giving fraudsters access to his bank account.
Using the OTP, the suspects executed unauthorised transactions amounting to ₹1,36,890. Realising it was a fraud, he lodged a complaint with the cyber crimes wing of the Hyderabad police. A case has been registered and police are tracing the callers.
Authorities have warned citizens not to rely on customer care numbers from Google search results, and to use only official app or website contacts. People have also been urged never to share OTPs, PINs or bank details and to disconnect immediately from suspicious calls.
Citizens are advised to report cyber frauds on the 1930 helpline or www.cybercrime.gov.in, and have shared emergency contact and awareness links for public safety.
Published – November 27, 2025 08:49 pm IST
