TV actress Surbhi Tiwari, known for her roles in shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, recently became a victim of cyber fraud while trying to book a hotel in Ayodhya. She wanted to visit the newly-built Ram Lalla temple but was scammed when she tried to book accommodation. Surbhi found a contact number for a dharamshala online and communicated with a person via WhatsApp to book a room, only to realise later that it was a scam.
“He asked for a security deposit, leading to another payment of the same amount. When I asked for the registration number, he suggested making a single payment instead of two, citing technical reasons. I asked him to reverse the payment so that I could transfer Rs 5,000 in one go,” she shared, as quoted by the Free Press Journal.
Surbhi became suspicious when the man she spoke to introduced her to someone posing as an accountant and shared a barcode. “I became suspicious when he deleted messages on WhatsApp while talking to me. Fortunately, I use GPay on another phone, and hence, he couldn’t fleece more money,” she said.
With the help of local media, Surbhi tried to gather information about the dharamshala but found that neither the contact number nor the website was associated with it. The incident happened on February 29, and on March 1, Surbhi filed a police complaint at Versova police station. She said to TOI, “On the following day, I registered a complaint with the police. I was told I got delayed by a day; otherwise, the cops would have helped me in recovering my money. No matter how small, it was my hard-earned money.”
The Shagun actress hopes to warn others about the scam. Surbhi, who went to Ayodhya yesterday, said, “I hope appropriate action is taken against those who set up fake websites. I don’t want anyone else to fall into this trap. My advise to everyone is to be cautious and verify before making online payments and confirming the authenticity of these websites. Do not scan barcodes shared on WhatsApp, or else they will loot all your money and empty your bank account. I had to eventually ask a local friend to make a cash payment and book the accommodation.”
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