Bengaluru: Woman loses Rs 50,000 while trying to buy 'Rs 250 meal' on Facebook

Photo for representational purpose

A 58-year-old woman in Bengaluru fell prey to cyber crime and lost Rs 50,000 while buying a meal.

Savita Sharma, a resident of Yelachenahalli in South Bengaluru, came across an advertisement on Facebook that offered two thalis (meals) free for buying one thali that was priced Rs 250, states a report in The Indian Express.

According to sources in the police, the address of the restaurant given in the advertisement was Sadashivanagar. Sharma called up the number mentioned in the advertisement and said she wanted to order a meal. The person on the other side said she would need to pay an advance of Rs 10 to book the order and can pay the remaining amount in cash when the food will be delivered at her doorstep.

Sharma was then sent a link on her mobile phone to fill up a form, in which she ended up sharing her debit card details and PIN number. In the next few minutes, Rs 49,996 was withdrawn from her account, sources said. Sharma received a message about the deduction from her account on her cellphone. When she called the same number, the mobile was switched off.

The incident took place on Tuesday. Sharma filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime, Economic Offences & Narcotics (CEN) police station the next day. Police said they are investigating the case.