Cyber fraudsters are laying a new trap in these gasping times. They are cheating oxygen buyers.
Stuart Vanderveen, a 46-year-old businessman from Bhoopasandra, North Bengaluru, allegedly lost Rs 12,59,550 while trying to buy oxygen concentrators online recently.
An oxygen concentrator is a device that concentrates the oxygen from ambient air by selectively removing nitrogen.
Patients with mild symptoms of Covid-19 can breathe with the help of oxygen concentrators at their home.
Vanderveen had searched online for companies that supply oxygen concentrators. He came across a portal that listed Surabhi Enterprises as one of the suppliers.
On May 2, he called the phone number listed on the portal and inquired about oxygen concentrators.
After being convinced that he was at the right place, Vanderveen transferred the money in multiple transactions to a bank account provided by the “company”. But the oxygen concentrators never arrived.
When he tried contacting the company, his phone calls went unanswered. He wasn’t given a refund either.
Vanderveen realised the con and lodged a complaint at the North CEN (Cyber, Economic and Narcotics) Crime police station.
A police officer said that they had registered a case under the Information Technology Act and launched an investigation.