Margao: A shopkeeper looking to stock up on air-conditioners, and a homemaker going about her routine banking are the latest South Goa residents to fall victim to cyber fraud. Police say con artists are constantly refining their methods to stay one step ahead of increasingly wary citizens.In the first case, Nitin Parashari, a resident of Mandop, Navelim, was contacted by an unidentified person through an online advertisement offering 12 brand-new air-conditioners for sale. What made the scam convincing, police said, was the elaborate sales pitch — the accused even arranged for a ‘representative’ to visit Parashari’s shop to inspect the premises and discuss pickup, lending the deal an air of legitimacy. Reassured, Parashari transferred Rs 2.3 lakh in instalments through multiple UPI transactions between March 26 and April 2. Once the money changed hands, the AC units never arrived, and the accused went silent, cutting off all calls and messages.In another case, Marta Pereira of Aquem Alto found herself staring at a string of unauthorised transactions from her bank account, all executed within a six-minute window on April 18, without her knowledge or consent. The fraudster made away with Rs 1.2 lakh before she could react.Both cases have been registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Margao Town police station.Police sources said the modus operandi of cyber criminals has evolved well beyond the crude scams of the past. “They don’t repeat the same trick twice. One time it’s a fake advertisement, another time it’s a fake buyer, sometimes it’s just a call claiming to be from the bank. Every case we get, the method is a little different. That’s what makes it hard for people to see through it,” a police officer said, adding that people should always verify independently before making any payment.Police have appealed to citizens to avoid sharing OTPs, UPI PINs or banking credentials with unknown callers, and to report suspicious transactions immediately through the national cyber helpline.
