CAUTION: Hundreds conned by Malad Green Village Resort, Green Resort Online Cyber Fraud

MUMBAI: Cyber criminals and online fraudsters have created a fake Google business listing of the Malad Green Village Resort at Madh-Marve road in the western suburbs of Malad, Mumbai and put up a fake mobile number registered in West Bengal. One of the fake mobile numbers is 7002206840, but the crooks keep changing the numbers.

Since the Green Village Resort at Marve Road has a restaurant and a swimming poll – which is rented out to guests on an hourly basis, hundreds of people living in the Malad West, Charkop, Malwani and Kandivali areas frequent this place as kids love to play in the water and as Diwali vacations are now on.

One can pay Rs 200 per hour per person and use the swimming pool and some other facilities at the venue.

However, the cyber fraudsters offer the same for Rs 150, offering a Rs 50 discount. If one calls up the number 7002206840  (or any other phone number as the fraudsters keep changing the Google business listing number), one is offered a discount for booking and paying online. Further discounts are offered if the customer agrees to pay by credit card or debit card.

If you choose to pay online via Google pay or PayTm, the fraudsters send you a QR code. They will try to convince you to pay via credit or debit card. If you fall for their con, they will send you a link or ask you to download an app and will drain out and empty your entire bank account or credit card limit within seconds.

The Green Village Resort has approached the Malwani police station regarding the fake Google business listing, but the cops want a person who has been cheated of money to come forward and register a complaint.

Since the amounts are small ranging from a few hundred to about a thousand, most people who are cheated and conned by the online fraudsters do not want to go to the police station to file a complaint.

This journalist was today cheated of Rs 150 by the online cyber crooks when he tried to book a slot at the swimming pool for his kid. The cheats offered him a discount of Rs 50 and sent a QR code to make the payment. When the journalist reached the venue and inquired about the promised coupon after making the payment via Google pay, the resort management told him that they do not accept any online bookings and it a cyber fraud which has been going on for a long time.

The fraudsters have saved their mobile numbers as Green Resort and similar names in Truecaller and Google Pay and most customers do not notice the difference between Green Village and Green Resort and end up making online payments.

All customers or clients and patrons of the Green Village resort at Marve Road, Madh, Malad west are hereby informed in public interest not to make any online payment via Google Pay, PayTm or any other online app, link or payment method, unless they physically verify the same in person with the resort and restaurant management.

In similar methods, customers of popular wine shops have been conned by cyber crooks and fraudsters. The cheats offer a hefty discount when ordering booze online.

Most buyers fall for the con when they are offered alcoholic beverages, beer and wine at a 20 to 25 per cent discount and end up paying online. The money does not go to the wine shop but is credited to the fraudsters accounts. Those who agree to pay via credit or debit card, find their bank accounts cleaned out, even before they can count to 10.

Editor’s Note: The police have registered an FIR in this case. Read More Here