Fact Check: Liquor Home Delivery in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai? Don't Fall for the Phishing Calls by Fraudsters

The decision of opening wine shops in Maharashtra, saw people brimming out in large numbers outside the wine and liquor stores. But the huge turnout everywhere and rising cases of COVID-19 has forced some regions in the state to revoke that decision. Liquor shops and stores will remain closed in Mumbai and five districts of  Solapur, Aurangabad, Jalna, Buldhana and Amravati districts. Taking advantage of the growing demand for liquor, now scamsters are using it as a trick to dupe people of their money. They are putting up their numbers on a wine shop listing and asking the customer to send half of the money via online payment apps. On receiving the payment, the number disconnects with no option for a refund. We list down the process in which these fraudsters are trying out the new trick. Maharashtra: Liquor Stores and Shops Selling Non-Essential Goods Allowed to Open From Monday Except for Containment Zones.

A lot of reports are doing the rounds about online delivery of alcohol, but not all of them would be reliable ones. The fraudsters are currently targeting people in Mumbai. A similar incident was reported from Nagpur last month when fake news was doing the rounds about alcohol delivery at home. The Nagpur City Police had busted the claim and asked people to stay aware of such cyber-crimes. They shared contact numbers and websites that were asking people to order liquor at home.

Here's The Process Which Scamsters Are Using:

1. A customer makes a call to a wine shop from a number available on Google.
2. The man on the other side claims to be a wine shop seller and asks you to send half the amount in advance.
3. After you send half amount, you are sent a QR code which you have to scan and pay a delivery charge. It could be around Rs 40.
4. When you scan the code, you are asked to pay a higher amount. Meanwhile, the caller assures that it is just Rs 40.
5. After the money is deducted and you ask for e refund, the call is disconnected.

So it is important to check again and again whether the amount you have entered is correct. The Maharashtra government had announced that shops selling non-essential commodities, including liquor, will be allowed to open from May 4 in the COVID-19 non-containment zones across the state. However, seeing the growing number of people creating crowds outside the wine shops, the decision was revoked and the only sale of essential services will be allowed. As of now, there is no decision about home delivery of alcohol in Mumbai Metropolitan Region so we would urge our readers to stay aware of any such ads or news.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2020 06:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).