Nowadays in the digital age, the use of internet is increasing rapidly, but along with it the incidents of cyber crime are also increasing. Know the complete news? 
cyber thugs:-In today’s digital world, cybercrime is increasing rapidly. It’s not just common people who fall into these traps; even well-educated professionals are getting scammed. Recently, a company official from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) became a victim of cyber fraud while searching for a hotel on Google. He unknowingly called a fake number listed on the search results and ended up losing nearly ₹1.90 lakh to cybercriminals.
How Did the Fraud Happen?
JSW Green Mobility, a major company, is investing ₹27,200 crore in a large project covering 636 acres in Bidkin. The company’s Assistant Vice President, Mr. Krishna Chandra Srivastava (56), is currently staying in the city to oversee the project.
A few days ago, some senior officials from the company were scheduled to visit the city for a work review. To arrange their stay, Mr. Srivastava searched for “Ginger Hotel” on Google and called the first number that appeared in the search results. The person on the other end introduced himself as the hotel manager and offered an attractive deal: a 20% discount on online payment.
Trusting the offer, Mr. Srivastava shared his credit card details for the booking. The scammer then asked for an OTP (One-Time Password), claiming it was needed to confirm the reservation. As soon as he shared the OTP, his bank immediately contacted him for transaction verification. That’s when he realized that he had been tricked.
Although he requested the bank to stop the transaction, it was already too late. The fraudsters had successfully withdrawn ₹1,90,000 from his account. Following this incident, he filed a police complaint at Jawaharnagar Police Station, and an investigation is currently underway.
How Did Cybercriminals Manipulate Google Search?
Many people believe that Google search results are completely safe, but cybercriminals have found ways to manipulate them. They use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques or paid ads to push their fake phone numbers and websites to the top of search results.
So, when people search for hotels, banks, or other services, they often click on the first result without verifying its authenticity. This makes it easy for fraudsters to steal money by posing as genuine service providers.
How to Protect Yourself from Such Frauds?
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Do not trust the first search result on Google – Always cross-check contact details on the official website of the hotel, bank, or any other service.
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Never share OTP or card details – No genuine hotel, bank, or company will ever ask for your OTP.
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Be cautious of discounts that seem too good to be true – Fraudsters use lucrative offers to lure victims.
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Look for official email IDs and domain names – Genuine hotels and companies use professional email addresses, not random Gmail or Yahoo IDs.
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Report suspicious numbers and websites – If you come across any fake number, report it to Google and local authorities.
In this digital age, staying alert and taking preventive measures is the only way to avoid falling into such cyber traps.
