From Delivery Boy to Cybercriminal: The Shocking Story of the Rs 97,000 Swiggy Scam


One Phone Call, Rs 97,000 Gone: Unmasking the Swiggy Vishing Scam
One Phone Call, Rs 97,000 Gone: Unmasking the Swiggy Vishing Scam

A woman in Delhi fell victim to a clever hacking scheme, resulting in loss of Rs 97,197  after hackers gained access to her account and placed unauthorized orders .

Two men from Haryana have been arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly hacking Swiggy accounts and placing fraudulent grocery orders. The accused, identified as Aniket Kalra (25) and Himanshu Kumar (23), used a sophisticated method involving an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to gain unauthorized access to victim accounts.


The Scam :

  • Fake Call: The woman received a late-night call claiming to be from Swiggy's official system, informed her about unauthorized access attempts on her account, creating panic and confusion.
  • Information Extraction:The scammers, posing as Swiggy representatives, tricked the woman into revealing sensitive information like her username, password, or possibly even bank details.
  • Account Takeover:Armed with this stolen information, the hackers gained access to her Swiggy account .
  • Unauthorized Orders:With control over the account, they placed fraudulent orders(grocery) worth Rs 97,197  from her linked LazyPay account.
  • Discounted Resale:The purchased groceries were then sold at discounted prices in the market, generating profit for the perpetrators.
  • Covering Tracks: Fake phone numbers and random delivery addresses were used to avoid detection.


Investigation :

  • The investigation began after a woman from Sultanpur reported unauthorized orders of ₹97,197 on her Lazypay account linked to Swiggy.
  • Technical analysis of call details and financial transactions revealed suspicious activity.
  • Further investigation traced the orders to Gurugram and revealed the use of an IVR system and fake phone numbers
  • IMEI tracking led police to the suspects location in Gurugram.


Confession and Additional Details:

  • During interrogation, Aniket, a former delivery boy for Zomato and Swiggy, confessed to the scheme.
  • He revealed collaborating with another accused, Ansh, who targeted victims with linked credit/debit cards or internet banking and accessed their confidential data through the IVR system.
  • Aniket used fake phone numbers to place orders and delivered them to random addresses in Gurugram to avoid detection.
  • The groceries were sold at a discount, with profits split between the accused.
  • Himanshu, who runs a medical shop, facilitated money transfers using various UPI IDs.


Ongoing Investigation:

Police are currently searching for Ansh and investigating potential links to other similar cases.

Protecting Yourself from Similar Scams:

  • Beware of unsolicited calls: Never share personal information over calls claiming to be from official representatives. Contact the platform directly through verified channels to confirm their legitimacy.
  • Enable two-factor authentication (2FA):Strengthen your account security by activating 2FA, adding an extra layer of verification beyond passwords.
  • Maintain strong and unique passwords:Avoid using easily guessable passwords or repeating them across different accounts. Consider using a password manager for secure generation and storage.
  • Report suspicious activity: Immediately report any unusual activity or unauthorized access attempts to the platform and relevant authorities.