Woman's Swiggy account hacked, loses ₹97,000

A recent online scam has brought to light the vulnerability of personal accounts to cybercriminals, with a woman falling victim to a breach in her Swiggy account resulting in a staggering loss of ₹97,000. The incident sheds light on the evolving tactics employed by hackers to exploit unsuspecting individuals for financial gain.

According to reports from The New Indian Express, the perpetrators behind this scam, identified as Aniket Kalra, 25, and Himanshu Kumar, 23, orchestrated a scheme that targeted a 26-year-old woman. Using a deceptive technique involving Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, the hackers impersonated Swiggy's official system in a late-night phone call to the victim. The call falsely claimed that her account was under threat, prompting her to disclose sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and potentially even banking details out of concern for her account's security.

Armed with the obtained credentials, the hackers swiftly gained unauthorized access to the woman's Swiggy account, exploiting it to place orders worth nearly Rs 1 lakh without her consent. The fraudulent transactions were routed through her Lazy Pay account, exacerbating the financial impact on the victim.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Kalra, one of the accused, had previously worked as a delivery agent for both Zomato and Swiggy. Leveraging his insider knowledge, he collaborated with an accomplice identified as Ansh, devising a strategy to exploit individuals who had linked their payment methods to their Swiggy accounts.

The modus operandi involved preying on the fears of potential victims by disseminating automated calls masquerading as official Swiggy alerts, prompting them to divulge confidential information under the guise of safeguarding their accounts. This data was then exploited to orchestrate unauthorized transactions, perpetrating financial losses on unsuspecting users.

The arrest of the perpetrators serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance and skepticism when confronted with unsolicited communications regarding personal accounts. Authorities urge the public to exercise caution and refrain from sharing sensitive information in response to such requests, thereby mitigating the risk of falling victim to similar scams in the future.

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