Follow us on Google News
A growing cyber fraud racket is sweeping through Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states, where fake e-commerce websites are being used to dupe small traders and unsuspecting consumers by offering massive discounts on electronics. Victims are lured into making advance payments only to discover that the websites and the sellers vanish without a trace.
A New Digital Menace: Fake E-Commerce Portals Promise Big, Deliver Nothing
Fraudsters operating across central India, primarily in Raipur in Chhattisgarh, have devised an alarming new method to defraud traders and consumers. By using business details like GST numbers, mobile numbers, and shop addresses of legitimate traders, they are setting up highly professional-looking fake websites. These sites advertise attractive deals on laptops, televisions, and mobile phones with discounts as high as 60%, prompting customers to make advance payments.
Once the payment is made, the products are never delivered, and all contact with the seller is cut off. Reports indicate that many affected business owners only realize they’ve been impersonated when angry customers call to complain.
From Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh: A Network of Deceit
The scam appears to be concentrated in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Affected shopkeepers in Raipur, for example, have reported being impersonated without their knowledge. In one instance, businessman Chetan Kosarkar received a call from a customer who claimed to have paid ₹20,000 for a laptop via an online platform that listed his shop’s address. Shocked, Kosarkar realized the customer had been misled by a fake website using his credentials.
The fraudulent networks often operate under seemingly legitimate names and use cloned or partially altered business documents to lend authenticity to their websites. Most victims, both traders and consumers, find it difficult to trace the fraud once the transaction is completed.
Aadhaar and PAN Misused for Company Registration in Hyderabad
In a parallel development, the registration of shell companies using fake or stolen Aadhaar and PAN details has surfaced in Hyderabad. A businessman discovered that a company had been registered in his name without his knowledge, and his documents were being used to conduct online scams. Investigators have traced these activities to a larger racket operating across multiple states, indicating a deeply rooted nexus between digital fraudsters and data leaks.
The case is now being investigated with the involvement of cybercrime specialists and financial intelligence units. Dr. Deepak Jayaswal, a noted cyber expert, has joined the probe, which is expected to unearth further fraudulent registrations and linkages to the e-commerce frauds.
About the author – Prakriti Jha is a student at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, currently pursuing B.Sc. LL.B (Hons.) with a keen interest in the intersection of law and data science. She is passionate about exploring how legal frameworks adapt to the evolving challenges of technology and justice.
