A 23-year-old man has been arrested in Aizawl, Mizoram, for allegedly stealing money by replacing a QR code sticker at a petrol pump with his own. According to a report by the news agency PTI, a senior police officer said that the accused, identified as H. Lalrohlua, a resident of Lunglei's Hrangchalkawn, who currently lives in Aizawl's Armed Veng locality, was arrested following a complaint from the petrol pump manager.
Mizoram Inspector General of Police (Law and Order), Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, reported that a complaint was filed by the manager of Mizofed's petrol pump at Treasury Square in Aizawl. The complaint stated that recently, a miscreant replaced the QR code sticker displayed at the station for customer transactions. Following the complaint, the police initiated an investigation and arrested Lalrohlua on the ground of suspicion.
How the accused did the QR code scam
After extensive questioning, the accused, who has no prior criminal record, confessed to the crime, the police officer noted. The accused reportedly printed his own GPay QR code and swapped it with the legitimate one displayed by Mizofed, a public sector undertaking, at the filling station, the officer added.
Khiangte further noted that the accused received Rs 2,315 through three GPay transactions, of which he refunded Rs 890 to one of the payees. The remaining amount of Rs 1,425 was spent by the accused, the senior police officer reported.
Recently, a paint company in Ahmedabad was defrauded of Rs 46.87 lakh through another scam involving fake QR codes. The fraud was discovered during the company's annual audit, revealing that a contractor had used counterfeit QR codes to transfer funds to 35 different bank accounts.
The company had implemented a reward scheme where contractors and workers earned points for purchasing products, which could be redeemed through an online app using QR codes. The accused contractor allegedly created fake QR codes to fraudulently credit points and redeem them for cash, exceeding the value of his actual purchases.
Last month, Delhi Police revealed a significant increase in cybercrime complaints related to digital payments, internet banking, and fraud calls. As of June this year, the National Cyber Crime Portal (NCRP) received 25,924 complaints related to UPI payments, 5,312 complaints about internet banking fraud, and 5,486 complaints about fraudulent calls or "vishing."