Long before the onset of the unique coronavirus pandemic, digital payments had become a convenience, and they’ve become even more handy because lockdowns have forced many people to stay indoors.
Unfortunately, cyber fraud and incidences of criminals taking advantage of uninformed people to rob them of their money have increased in the country.
The most recent such scam, according to reports, includes popular payment app Paytm and a fraudulent cashback offer.
According to the Indian Express, the latest Paytm fraud targets users who are uninformed of how phishing sites work and is given to them in the guise of a browser notification that sends them to the phony website paytm-cashoffer[dot]com.
We were able to validate the site’s presence, which is compatible with all mobile browsers.
The source of the notification is unclear in the report, as Chrome makes it mandatory for sites to acquire permission before sending notifications to users.
This indicates that the notification is most likely being provided as a notification from a legitimate site – or at the very least one that the user trusts enough to allow the notification.
In this circumstance, the notification reads, “Congratulations! You have won Paytm Scratch Card”.
When a user clicks on the notification, they are directed to the website paytm-cashoffer[dot]com, which is clearly a phony, fraudulent website designed to deceive customers by using similar design and color aspects to the genuine Paytm website.
Users who do not detect the non-official URL at the top of the page will see a message on the website stating that they have won over 2,000 in cashback, as well as a prominent light blue “Send Reward to Paytm” button at the bottom of the screen.
According to the report, this Paytm fraud only works on a mobile phone, implying that the website’s crooks are primarily targeting mobile users.
Typing the URL into a browser on a computer at the time of writing this article directs the user to the official Paytm website rather than the fraudulent page.
Users are urged not to visit or forward the bogus website to their contacts.
The fake website, on the other hand, is still visible to mobile visitors and clearly displays a new false sum of $2,000 – the value changes every time the page is updated.
Remember that providing personal information on any third-party website, including this one, can result in the loss of your data or finances.