Several business establishments were in for a shock in Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho when customers scanned the QR codes at their shops but the money never reached their accounts. CCTV footage obtained later showed a group of fraudsters changing the online payment scanners overnight.
The group pasted new QR codes over the existing scanners. Around half a dozen businesses were targeted by the group, due to which payments reached the accounts of the accused, who are yet to be identified.
Among them was Omvati Gupta, the owner of Rajesh Medical Stores. When a customer made a payment via QR code at her shop in the morning, she was alerted by the former that the name on the linked account was changed.
Another establishment that fell victim to the fraud was a petrol pump. An employee said that many customers transferred money but it was not reflecting in the business’ account. “We checked the scanner and the name was coming as Chotu Tiwari. We then removed that scanner,” the employee said.
Khajuraho police station in-charge Atul Dixit said the cases of cheating were brought to his notice but no trader had filed any complaints. He added that an investigation will be conducted in the matter, expressing confidence that the fraudsters will soon be in police custody.
In the winter session of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha last month, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav presented data on the increasing number of cyber frauds in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Pratap Grewal.
In 2024, 26 cases of “digital arrest” fraud were reported, where cybercriminals impersonated law enforcement agencies to extort over Rs 12.6 crore. This marks a 130% increase from 2023, when only one case was reported, resulting in a loss of Rs 96,968.
Out of the Rs 12.60 crore extorted in 2024, only Rs 72.38 lakh (5.74%) was recovered. In 2023 and 2024, people in Madhya Pradesh lost over Rs 150 crore to cyber fraud.