📞 Helpline Number : Helping or Hacking ?

SYBER SECURE

 

How Fake Helpline Numbers & Refund Scams

 Are Draining Bank Accounts

“The fraud doesn’t begin with technology. It begins with trust.”

🖊️ SHUBHRA • 20th August, 2025 • Cybersecurity Awareness & Digital Safety




📦 The Refund Scam: How a Cancelled Order Emptied a Man’s Bank Account 


It was a typical weekend for Ramesh, a 32-year-old professional in Delhi.
After a long workweek, he decided to order groceries and snacks on Blinkit. Within minutes, his cart was filled, and he placed the order.

But midway, Ramesh realized he didn’t really need some of the items. So, he quickly cancelled the order.
The app showed “Order Cancelled”, but when he checked his bank app, the refund hadn’t arrived instantly.

Impatient and worried, Ramesh thought—

“Maybe there’s a problem. I’ll just call Blinkit’s customer care.”

Like most of us would do, he opened Google and typed:


👉 “Blinkit customer care number.”

At the very top, a toll-free number popped up. It looked official, professional, and even had a small “Help Center” tag. Without hesitation, he dialed.

The call connected. A polite voice said:

“Namaste Sir, Blinkit customer support here. Please tell me your issue.”

Ramesh explained his cancelled order and missing refund. The “executive” calmly replied:

“Don’t worry Sir, I’ll resolve this right away. Please download a small app called Anydesk, it will help us verify your account details.”

Trusting the voice on the other end, Ramesh downloaded the app.
He followed the instructions—entered a code, shared permissions, and within minutes, his screen was mirrored to the fraudster.

Soon after, his banking app started acting strangely. Notifications popped up, balance alerts followed, and then—
💸 his entire bank account was wiped out.


❓ What Really Happened

Ramesh had unknowingly fallen into a Customer Care Impersonation Scam, one of the fastest-growing frauds in India.

Here’s the breakdown:

  1. Fake helpline number – Scammers run ads/websites with numbers that rank high on Google search.

  2. Remote access app like Anydesk, TeamViewer, QuickSupport – These apps allow another person to control your device remotely.

  3. Banking theft – Once access is granted, fraudsters watch every move, steal OTPs, UPI PINs, and transfer money instantly.


📌 Why This Scam Works

  • People trust Google search results without verifying.

  • Refund anxiety makes users act in haste.

  • Fraudsters use professional-sounding language to gain trust.

  • Remote access apps look harmless and are even on official app stores.


⚠️ The Bigger Picture

This is not just about any Grocery App. Fraudsters use the same trick with:

  • Swiggy, Zomato, etc (refund issues)

  • Ola, Uber, etc (ride cancellation)

  • IRCTC, Airlines, etc (ticket refunds)

  • Paytm, PhonePe, etc (wallet recharge issues)

In fact, thousands of Indians lose money each month to such scams, because most brands don’t provide helpline numbers—and people instinctively search for one.


📰 Real-Life Cases

This scam isn’t fiction—it has already happened to thousands across India:

  • Uri Man Loses ₹5.45 Lakh (J&K)
    A man from Uri area of Baramulla District tried to cancel an airline ticket and searched for the customer care number on Google. He called the first result, where a scammer convinced him to download AnyDesk. Within minutes, ₹5.45 lakh was siphoned from his account. Thankfully, Cyber Police Kashmir acted quickly and helped recover the full amount. 🔗 India Today

  • Army Officer Duped of ₹2 Lakh (Delhi)
    A 45-year-old army officer received a call from someone posing as an Amazon executive. The fraudster asked him to install a remote access app called HopToDesk. Once installed, the scammer gained access to his banking apps and siphoned over ₹2 lakh before the officer realized what was happening.      🔗 Indian Express

  • Kolkata Man Loses ₹5 Lakh via PhonePe Scam
    Subhash Chandra Bala searched online for PhonePe customer care when facing an issue. The number he found belonged to fraudsters, who guided him to install RustDesk, another remote access app. They remotely observed his screen, stole OTPs, and cleaned out ₹5 lakh from his bank account.  🔗 TOI

  • Hyderabad Businessman Loses ₹2.93 Lakh
    In Hyderabad, a businessman faced issues with his TV subscription. A fake support agent sent him a link to download a “customer support app.” Once installed, the scammer gained full access to his banking details and withdrew nearly ₹3 lakh before the victim realized it was fraud.  🔗  The Hindu


Pattern across all cases:

  1. Victims searched for customer care on Google.

  2. They were told to install a remote access app.

  3. Scammers used the access to steal OTPs and PINs.

  4. Within minutes, lakhs were transferred out.


🧾 Red Flags to Recognize

🚩 Helpline number on Google instead of inside the app
🚩 Asked to install Anydesk, QuickSupport, TeamViewer
🚩 Promised instant refund processing
🚩 Agent asking for OTP, PIN, or login credentials
🚩 Poor audio quality or excessive urgency


🔒 How to Stay Safe

✅ Always use in-app support (Blinkit, Zomato, Swiggy, Ola have official “Help” sections).
✅ Understand that refunds usually take 5–7 working days, never instant.
✅ Never install remote access apps for refunds, KYC, or verification.
✅ If money is stolen:

  • Call your bank immediately and block transactions.

  • Dial 1930 (National Cybercrime Helpline in India).

  • File a report on cybercrime.gov.in.


🎯 Takeaway

Scams don’t need hacking—they exploit trust + urgency. If they had used the official support channel, they would still have their money. One wrong number cost them their entire savings.


⚖️ Disclaimer

The incidents above are for awareness purposes only. The scams do not indicate that apps like Blinkit, Swiggy, Zomato, PhonePe, etc are unsafe. Fraudsters misuse fake helpline numbers and remote access apps, not the official platforms. Always rely on official in-app support for safe assistance.


✍️ Author’s Note

 Many people dismiss scams until they—or someone close—falls victim. My goal with this blog is simple: educate before it’s late.

Share it with your dear ones. The more people know, the fewer victims scammers can create. 


— Shubhra (Author & Cybersecurity Enthusiast)

🔔 Stay Updated, Stay Safe!

Don’t miss real-life cyber fraud updates, awareness tips, and safety tricks. Join my WhatsApp Channel today and be one step ahead of online scams.

👉 Join My WhatsApp Channel


🔐 Stay safe . Stay happy

🗣️ Discussion Prompt 

💬 What’s Your Take?

Share and spread awareness.


© 2025 Shubhra Safi. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized use, reproduction, or redistribution of any part of this content is prohibited.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

🧠 “They Don’t Hack Systems—They Hack People: Real Stories of Social Engineering”

Image
SYBER SECURE "Ordinary people. Unbelievable scams. One common mistake—trusting too easily." 🖊️  SHUBHRA • 23 July, 2025 • Cybersecurity &  Human-Centered Threat Analysis 🔗 Read in Hindi 📖 The Stranger Who Knew Too Much It was a typical Thursday morning. Sunil, a 19-year-old student, was sipping tea and scrolling through memes when his phone rang. “Hello, is this Sunil Sharma?” “Yes, who’s this?” “This is Priya from your bank. There’s been a suspicious login attempt from your account. We need to confirm your identity to protect your funds.” Sunil’s heart skipped. He wasn’t sure if he’d used public Wi-Fi the night before. Maybe someone really did try to hack him. “Can you confirm your last four digits of your Aadhaar?” the woman asked calmly. She already knew his name. Her tone was confident. Professional. She even quoted the last 4 digits of his account number accurately. “Now, for verification, please tell us the OTP we just sent you.” Beep. A m...
Read more

🤳📍 Your Phone’s Silent Betrayal: What Your Photos Are Revealing

Image
SYBER SECURE One selfie. One post. That’s all it takes for a stranger to find someone.  🖊️  SHUBHRA • 30 July, 2025 • Social Media & Privacy That perfect solo selfie you just shared! It might not just be a memory — it might be a roadmap. 🔗 Read in Hindi   🧨 Her  Selfie That Led an Unknown to Her Aarushi was just 21. New city, new college, new freedom. She’d fallen in love with the small bookstore café tucked between two noisy alleys of Pune — the kind of place no one really knew about. Perfect for reading, journaling, and the occasional selfie. That evening, the café was almost empty. Golden hour light filtered through the window. Aarushi angled her phone, smiled, and posted: “Peace & pages 📖✨ #eveningsolo” She didn’t tag the place. She didn’t share her location. She didn’t need to — she thought. A man entered the café 15 minutes later. Older. Silent. He scanned the room and walked to a table two spots behind her. He didn’t order anything. ...
Read more

The Nano Trend: Cute Digital Fun or Hidden Cyber Risk? 🤔

Image
SYBER SECURE  When Fun Turns Into a Digital Footprint "What seems harmless today can become tomorrow’s biggest risk." 🖊️  SHUBHRA • 16th September, 2025 • Viral Digital Trends & Their Risks 🔗 Read in Hindi Join My WhatsApp Channel for Daily Updates  🔗 Syber Secure A Story: From Fun to Fear Riya, a college student, stumbled upon the latest craze on social media—turning selfies into nano-style figurines using the trending AI Nano Banana model. It was fun, quirky, and all her friends were sharing their miniature “nano” avatars online. She uploaded her photo, laughed at the result, and moved on. A few weeks later, Riya noticed 🎯 targeted ads, strange login attempts on her email, and even her photo popping up in unexpected corners of the internet. What seemed like a harmless trend had unknowingly given away her facial data—now floating around in databases she had no control over. The Rise of the Nano Trend The Nano trend is simple: upload your pictur...
Read more