- By Deeksha Gour
- Sun, 12 Jan 2025 06:52 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Khajuraho News: Business owners in Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho were left stunned after discovering that customers’ payments via QR codes were going to fraudsters instead of their accounts. CCTV footage revealed that a group of criminals had replaced the legitimate online payment scanners overnight.
The scam involved the group pasting new QR codes over the existing ones at several establishments. Consequently, payments intended for the businesses ended up in the accounts of the unidentified fraudsters.
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According to a NDTV report, Omvati Gupta, the owner of Rajesh Medical Stores, was among those affected. She received a notification from a customer that the name associated with the QR code had been changed. "It was shocking to see that the payment was not going to my account," Gupta said.
Another victim of this scheme was a petrol station. An employee reported that numerous customers had attempted to make payments, but the money was not reflected in the business account. "When we checked the scanner, it showed the name Chotu Tiwari. We immediately removed that device," the employee explained.
Atul Dixit, in-charge of Khajuraho police station, acknowledged that reports of cheating had reached him but stated that no formal complaints had been filed by the traders. He assured that an investigation would be launched and expressed optimism that the culprits would be apprehended soon.
Meanwhile, in 2024 alone, 26 incidents of "digital arrest" fraud were reported, where criminals impersonated as police to extort over Rs 12.6 crore. This represents a staggering 130 per cent increase from 2023, which saw only one case resulting in a loss of Rs 96,968.
Out of the Rs 12.60 crore extorted in 2024, only Rs 72.38 lakh (5.74 per cent) has been recovered. Overall, residents of Madhya Pradesh lost over Rs 150 crore to cyber fraud in 2023 and 2024 combined.
