When a branded footwear retailer offered a 70% discount on some of its best-selling products, a 44-year-old homemaker thought she had struck a bargain. She had been scouring the web for a “stability shoe” as recommended by her podiatrist to counter a severe case of flatfoot, which impaired her balance and caused lower back and knee issues.
A widely disseminated social media post had alerted her to the “end-of-season discount sale.” The woman, who requested that her name be withheld, said she reckoned that she had snagged a rewarding deal.
She logged into the brand’s online store, registered her e-mail and address, and entered her credit card information to pay ₹6,000 for the discounted item. However, the homemaker became suspicious when she received no confirmation e-mail even after a week.
Cancellation of card
She belatedly realised that she was among the many shoppers lured in by phoney sites peddling branded merchandise, mostly lifestyle goods. She notified the bank of the suspicious transaction, which led to the cancellation of her credit card to prevent further fraudulent use.
Director General of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Manoj Abraham, who is also the nodal officer of Cyberdome, the Kerala Police’s state-of-the-art cybersecurity centre, told The Hindu that fake online stores advertising branded merchandise at improbably low prices, offering 70% 90% discounts, are the latest in a series of online scams exploiting the budget-conscious purchasing behaviour of urban consumers in the State.
“Such fake sites dupe consumers into paying and inadvertently revealing their credit card information by claiming to offer deep discounts ostensibly to clear their inventory ahead of the next shopping season,” he said.
Given its high digital literacy and mobile phone penetration, Kerala has the third-highest cybercrime rate in the country, behind Karnataka and Telangana, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) latest Crime in India report for 2024. According to the NCRB, the majority of cases registered in the State involved cyber cheating by impersonation using online and computer resources.
Mr. Abraham said that Instagram is the primary vehicle for fake advertisements. “Clicking the advertisement redirects the unsuspecting victim to dubious WhatsApp accounts where fraudsters claim to be sellers or customer support. Victims are persuaded to make UPI payments or part with their credit card information. Some sites demand further shipping, processing, GST or confirmation charges from the duped buyer and disappear,” he said.
Rahul Sasi, who heads a cybersecurity company that has previously collaborated with law enforcement agencies to mitigate online threats, said: “Fraudsters no longer build bad websites; AI can build convincing ones in seconds. If an offer seems unusually attractive, the website is unfamiliar, or you are seeing ads for a store you have never heard of, pause before you pay. Consult a second person. Scepticism is often your best defence.”
Published – July 05, 2026 05:22 pm IST
