In the latest case, scamsters imitated the mobile app of well-known retail chain 7-Eleven to defraud a city resident of Rs 2 lakh after conning him with a fake investment scheme. Cybercrime cops suspect that the app may be the handiwork of Chinese gangs.
On August 9, Thirupathi Reddy (42), a resident of Ayyappa Nagar Colony in Alwal, lodged a complaint with the cybercrime wing of Cyberabad police that he had fallen victim to an elaborate scam orchestrated through a fake ‘7-Eleven’ mobile application. Between July 23 and July 31 he had invested Rs 2.1 lakh through the fake ‘7-Eleven’ app believing it to be a legitimate business opportunity.
While submitting transaction records and communication with app operators, Reddy said in his complaint: “This incident may not be an isolated occurrence and other individuals may have also suffered financial losses due to this deceitful app.”
The fraudsters introduced the application through the website ‘http://7-eleven.top’ and initiated communication with him through a WhatsApp group. The domain was officially registered on March 7 but recently disappeared after extracting money from numerous victims. The fraudsters also floated several websites, including ‘www.seven-eleven.top’, ‘www.seven-11.xyz’, ‘www.7-elevenonline.vip’, ‘www.seveneleven.top’, and ‘www.7-11online.vip’. They were shut down later after swindling money. However, a Telegram group associated with ‘7-Eleven’ is still operational, boasting over 3,100 subscribers. This group claimed investors can withdraw funds any time and would receive commissions upon recruiting others. Cyberabad police said short-lived websites and apps created by fly-by-night operators to deceive victims.