52-year-old woman defrauded of ₹1.23 lakh via Instagram seller Vastanzo9 after UPI and QR code payments in Hyderabad scam

Summary

A 52-year-old woman was defrauded of Rs 1.23 lakh while attempting to purchase a saree from an Instagram seller. The fraudulent account, named "Vastanzo9," was used to lure her into making payments. After an initial UPI payment, the fraudster requested additional payments through a QR code and later asked her to share her screen to process a refund. During the screen-sharing session, multiple Google Pay payment requests were sent and unknowingly authorised by the victim. The Hyderabad cybercrime police registered a case following the incident. Authorities warned that fraudsters are increasingly using fake Instagram pages to target online shoppers with enticing offers.