A Kerala man lost ₹2,69,500 after odd calls arrived while he rescheduled a shoe return. The safest move is to start every return in the store's own app.
A 65-year-old man in Kannur, Kerala, says he lost ₹2,69,500, about $3,200, from his bank accounts while trying to return a pair of shoes bought online. The shoes were the wrong size. On November 5, he tried to reschedule the pickup. During that process, two unknown numbers contacted him.
One number made an ordinary phone call. Another reached him by WhatsApp video call. He says his phone was compromised during these contacts. Soon after, the money was withdrawn from accounts at different bank branches. He went to his bank, but the money could not be recovered right away.
He then went to Thaliparamba Police, who registered a case on November 7. Police have identified the accounts that received the money and told the banks to freeze them. No arrests have been announced.
Police have not said whether he installed an app, shared banking details or approved any request during the calls. Those answers matter, because they would show how the theft was carried out. It is also unclear whether the calls were tied to his real return request or just happened at the same time.
Answering a WhatsApp video call is not, on its own, proof that a phone has been hacked. Public information does not show that the call itself gave anyone access to his phone or banking apps.
Returns often involve calls from delivery staff or customer support. That makes an unexpected call feel normal. A caller who seems to know your order is easier to trust. The Reserve Bank of India has warned that fraudsters may pose as customer-service staff and talk people into installing remote-access apps. These let another person see or control a phone. Nothing confirms that method was used here.
Anyone who returns items bought on online shopping platforms could face a similar call. People who expect a service call are the most likely to trust it. If you have no return in progress, you can worry less, but the same trick can be tried around refunds, delivery schedules or payment checks.
The alert box above lists the steps. In short, begin returns in the retailer's official app or website, not through a number that calls you. If money leaves your account without your approval, contact your bank at once and report it through 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
Police are tracing the money and checking who controlled the receiving accounts. Having an account number does not prove who used it. Criminals often use other people's accounts to move stolen money. The case is under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers cheating, and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, which covers cheating by pretending to be someone else using computers.
Start every return in the store's own app or website, and never install software or share bank details on a customer-service call.
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