(Representative image)

MUMBAI: Ambuja Cements has filed a complaint against a fake website created by fraudsters, which was being used to misappropriate funds from customers of the cement company by directing them to a benami bank account. Victims of the fraud lodged a complaint with the MIDC police station in Mumbai on Monday.

The fraudsters received orders for cement on the website ambujacement.ind.in, which is not used by the company. According to advocate Prashant Mali , a cyber law expert who is representing the cement company, customers need to remain aware before transacting on any websites. “They should always check which is the official URL of a company as such types of frauds are on the rise,” he said.

The fraud site obtained orders and subsequently raised invoices on the buyers, promising delivery against receipt of advance payment deposited into the bank account. When the customers failed to receive delivery, they approached the company, which resulted in the fraud being exposed. As on date, the company has reported a loss of Rs 1.8 lakh by victims. These include three buyers across the country who had made advance payments to the benami bank account.

The victims include a buyer from Thane who had placed an order for 200 bags of cement and one from Kolkata. The police complaint said that due to the illegal activity of the accused not only are customers getting cheated, there is also an infringement of the company’s copyright by registering a domain in its name and by creating invoice and stationery that are identical to the company’s brand.

According to bankers, besides the use of fraudulent websites, cases of fraud resulting from user-generated content is on the rise. Fraudsters post fake helpline numbers on Google Maps and other social media platforms to lure victims.

