New Cyber Fraud Alert: A Serious Warning for the Public
On 25th May 2026, I received a phone call from a person claiming to be from Blue Dart Courier Service. He spoke fluent English and sounded extremely professional and convincing. He informed me that a courier delivery meant for me could not be delivered because the delivery boy was unable to contact me. He then asked me to directly call the delivery boy and sent me a mobile number through a message.
As online shopping has become a regular part of our lives, I did not suspect anything unusual. I went to the usual delivery location, but no delivery person was present there. I tried calling the number provided, but there was no response.
Shortly afterwards, my mobile phone displayed a WhatsApp verification code message. While I was showing the message to a friend, my WhatsApp account suddenly got logged out automatically.
I immediately contacted the IT personnel of our institute to understand what had happened. Around the same time, one of my colleagues informed me that they had received a WhatsApp message from my number requesting Rs. 50,000 urgently, claiming that my UPI service was not working and that the amount would be returned within two hours.
I panicked and immediately rushed to the bank to block my account as a precautionary measure. With the help of the institute’s IT personnel, I was later able to recover my WhatsApp account, although it remained blocked for nearly 24 hours.
During that period, fraudulent messages were sent from my WhatsApp account to many of my contacts asking for different amounts of money, including Rs. 50,000, Rs. 48,000 and Rs. 40,000. I started receiving calls from friends, family members and students asking whether I genuinely needed financial help. Some people were actually about to transfer the money, but fortunately they became suspicious because different Google Pay numbers were being shared and therefore contacted me directly for confirmation.
This incident was extremely disturbing and frightening. Today, almost everyone orders products online, and we often do not remember which courier company is expected to deliver a package. Cyber criminals are taking advantage of this confusion and using sophisticated methods to trap innocent people.
This appears to be a new modus operandi adopted by cyber fraudsters. The public must remain extremely alert while receiving unknown calls, messages, OTPs or verification codes. People should never share verification codes, click on suspicious links, or trust unknown callers merely because they sound professional or convincing.
I request everyone to verify courier information only through official company websites or customer care numbers. In case of any suspicious activity, immediately inform family members, friends, banks and cyber crime authorities.
Cyber fraud is increasing rapidly, and awareness is our strongest protection.
Prof. Binita Khati
Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing (SMCON)
Sikkim Manipal University,
Gangtok, Sikkim
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