Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 10 (PTI) The Keralam police on Saturday warned people against fake festival sale offers and online shopping scams, urging them to verify website links and avoid sharing banking and payment details on suspicious platforms.
In a statement, the police advised online shoppers to check the spelling of website addresses before clicking on links, warning that fraudulent websites often use names with minor variations to resemble those of popular shopping platforms.
Police said that messages and advertisements offering unrealistic discounts and free gifts are likely to be fraudulent, and people should avoid shopping through links received via WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and social media.
People should make purchases only through official applications or by typing the website address directly into a browser, the police said.
It also advised shoppers to check whether a website address begins with “https://” and displays a padlock symbol.
People should not enter bank account, card or UPI details on unfamiliar websites, it said.
The police also warned against fake customer care calls claiming to help cancel orders or provide offers, and urged people never to share one-time passwords (OTPs) with anyone.
Those who fall victim to online fraud should immediately call the cybercrime helpline at 1930 or file a complaint through the official portal www.cybercrime.gov.in, the police added. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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