Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Nov 30: Cyber Crime police have issued a strong advisory to the public after a sharp rise in fraudulent parcel delivery messages being circulated via SMS and email. Citizens have been urged not to click on suspicious links or share banking details under any circumstances.

According to the advisory issued by SP Cyber Crime Cell Rahul Gupta, scammers are posing as India Post, DTDC and other courier services, claiming that a parcel could not be delivered and asking users to update their address or pay a small re-delivery fee. The links provided in these messages lead to fake websites designed to steal bank details, card numbers and OTPs.

Gupta highlighted a case from Goa where a woman received an SMS saying her India Post parcel had failed delivery and she needed to pay ?10.25. Believing it to be genuine, she entered her card details and OTP—only to lose Rs 25,782 within minutes.

In another incident, a man clicked on a link sent in a message claiming to be from DTDC Courier. The site looked authentic, and the OTP on his phone even autofilled during the transaction. Moments later, he received an automated bank alert informing him of a fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 85,238.

“Do not click on unknown links and never share OTPs, UPI PINs or bank details,” Gupta cautioned, advising the public to verify suspicious links using tools like virustotal.com and spotthescam.in.

Victims have been requested to immediately contact the Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or file complaints on cybercrime.gov.in. The advisory concluded with a reminder: “Stay alert and stay cyber safe. Do not fall for fake delivery traps.”