By Hera Rizwan
In November last year, Rahul Kumar, a resident of Saharsa in Bihar, ordered a Lenovo laptop worth Rs 60,000 from the e-commerce platform Flipkart. After encountering numerous unsuccessful attempts to address the defective product through customer care complaints, Kumar decided to take a different approach. He opted to publicly share his problem on X, tagging Flipkart's official handle in the post in an attempt to seek resolution.
Responding to his post, a Flipkart support account with handle '@SupportFli2522' assured a quick resolution. Presuming it be a genuine Flipkart account, Kumar readily agreed.
On the call, the representative instructed Kumar to connect via WhatsApp video call and enunciate his issue. To facilitate the redressal process, the representative asked him to share his mobile screen via WhatsApp screen share feature and open the Flipkart app. Unaware of the functionality, Kumar followed the instructions, without questioning anything. "Eventually, I was asked to tap on the Image Search feature available on the Flipkart app and place my debit card before the camera, with the screen share still active to initiate the refund process," he told Decode.
The 'Image Search' allows users to click a picture or use a photo on their phones to find fashion products of same colour, pattern or style on Flipkart. The feature works in a manner similar to the Google Image Search. However, here, the feature was being used to pull off a scam.
As soon as Kumar brandished his card before the camera, in a matter of seconds, he received an OTP for a debit amount of Rs 9,000. "Realising that it was a scam, I quickly swiped off the text message notification, so that the scammer could not read the 6 digit OTP," he said. Instantly, the call was declined, and the number was blocked.
Despite this incident, Kumar is still awaiting the replacement or refund for his faulty purchase from Flipkart.
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In a similar incident, Siddharth Kumar, an IT professional based in Pune, expressed his dissatisfaction with Flipkart, after receiving incorrect sunglasses, by resorting to X to ensure his complaint was more clearly communicated to the e-commerce platform.
He told Decode, "Despite tagging the official Flipkart handle, I received a complaint from the fake one. I didn't question its authenticity initially as it was verified. They provided me with a number and instructed me to call for additional assistance."
During the call, Siddharth observed some unprofessionalism in the representative's demeanor. In an attempt to add legitimacy to their scam, they requested him to send screenshots of the order to a specified email address.
Subsequently, Siddharth was instructed to connect with their supposed manager while maintaining the screen share feature. "I agreed and complied, thinking it might be the final step in the process. However, the manager insisted that I display my payment details on the app for the final refund," he said.
Siddharth firmly declined, but the 'manager' persisted, asserting that "the refund would be impossible without it". He said, "I was convinced that it was an elaborate scam. Therefore, I promptly ended the call. Despite their attempts to reconnect, I chose not to answer."
The X account that tried to deceive Rahul, Siddharth, and numerous others has now been rendered inactive. In light of the repeated incidents, Decode reached out to Flipkart. The statement shared by the spokesperson read, "We are aware that there are rogue handles on social media platforms and make efforts to drive awareness on this issue among our customers."
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What is WhatsApp screen share?
Introduced in August last year, WhatsApp's screen share feature resembles the functionality found on platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom. It enables users to share their screen during meetings, allowing the other person to view presentations, videos or photos.
The functionality grants users full authority over screen-sharing, enabling them to halt the recording at their discretion. Prior to initiating screen share, WhatsApp will request user's permission, ensuring explicit consent. It's crucial to be aware that throughout the screen-sharing session, WhatsApp will have visibility into all content exhibited on the screen.
This encompasses passwords, photos, messages, and even payment details, as the messaging app requires access to such information while the screen-share feature is in use. Nevertheless, audio related to shared content, such as that from YouTube, Netflix, or video games, falls outside its scope.
The feature is available in the form of a new icon located next to the camera switch option in the bottom tab. Tapping on the icon, a pop-up box will appear, warning you about your phone being cast.
This feature, though useful for many, is now being leveraged by miscreants to tap into the wider WhatsApp audience and dupe them in financial fraud activities. Enabling the screen shar feature provides scammers with real time access to our smartphone screen. They can then read any messages and OTPs received, all initiated by cybercriminals.
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