Fraud is happening in the name of refund, know how it works and how to avoid it

Updated: 21-03-2026, 06.52 PM

What is the news?

Online shopping has made life easier, but cyber criminals have made people victims of fraud here too. In this, cases of refund scam are increasing a lot. Fraudsters are robbing people of money from their accounts by luring them about the refund process. Many people are not aware of this fraud, making it easy for them to get trapped. Let us know how refund scam works and how to avoid it.

This is how fraud begins

In refund scam, cyber thugs withdraw money from people’s bank accounts by pretending to give refund in the name of some company or service. This scam starts when a customer wants a refund after returning a damaged product or canceling the order. Many people do not know the customer care number and they use the number searched on Google. Many of these numbers belong to scammers.

get trapped in this way

On calling such a fake number, the fraudster pretends to be the customer care and assures to start the refund process. After this he comes to WhatsApp and convinces you to download the screen sharing app. As soon as you share the screen in the name of refund, the control of the phone goes into the hands of the fraudster. After this, he accesses the bank and wallet apps and withdraws the money deposited in them.

This is how fake numbers appear

Cyber criminals display their number higher in Google search results through SEO and paid advertisements, so that people consider it as the official number. Many times these numbers also appear with the ‘ad’ tag, but people do not pay attention. Therefore, it is not safe to rely only on Google search. You go to the official app or website of the concerned company. Contact us through the contact number or email given in the Help, Support or Contact Us section there.

This is how you can stay safe from fraud

Always consult the company’s official app or website. Remember, customer care never asks for your phone key or OTP to give a refund. Do not search customer care number on Google, do not give OTP or bank information, disconnect the phone in case of any doubt. If you become a victim of fraud, get the transaction blocked, change the UPI PIN, net banking, card information and remove suspicious apps from the phone.