As we advance towards a digital world, we also need to prepare ourselves for the changing nature of crime. Cybercriminals use a variety of methods including phone calls to trick buyers or sellers into giving their money or sensitive data.
Key to prevention is in building awareness. The more you understand the nature of these crimes, the better you can protect yourself from such scams. This blog will educate you about the different types of telephone frauds, preventive measures, and reliable sources of finding information about Meesho.
You might have heard or encountered incidents where a caller tells recipients that they have won an unbelievable reward. But to claim the reward the recipient would need to share their bank account details, debit/credit card information, digital wallet details, OTP, PIN or CVV. This is often a set up of a phone scam.
Before you share your information, take a moment and check the authenticity of the caller.
Typically, in Phone scams (also known as telephone scams or phone phishing), the caller pretends to be a representative of a reputed company, an employee of a government organisation, or even a family member. They ask you to share your bank or card details to unlock unbelievable offers or avail a government scheme or maybe even to help them in an urgent situation, in cases where they are pretending to be a family member. They create a setup or a situation where a person gets excited or curious about the offer and ends up sharing their details.
They might also pretend to be a representative of Meesho and ask you to share your personal details such as your bank account details, debit/credit card information, digital wallet details, or OTP, etc. You need to be aware that Meesho does not make phone calls related to lucky draw contests or money transfer through links. So, if you are caught in a situation, be careful and refrain from sharing any information.
Types of Phone Scams
Telephone Fraud can vary depending upon the targeted persona and the platform of operation. Below are the two commonly occuring phone scams observed by Meesho -
User Scams
Fraudsters make calls to users pretending to be a representative from Meeshos’ customer support/gifting/prizes team. They lure the users with big offers and ask them to share their bank account information, debit/credit card details, OTP and/or personal information like PAN or Aadhaar Card details . Often, they ask for information in indirect ways, like they might ask a user to install third party apps like Anydesk which gives them access to their phone/laptop. On gaining access, fraudsters may transfer users' money to their accounts.
Supplier Scams
Not only the buyers, but even suppliers can become a target of phone scams. Fraudsters act as company representatives and ask the suppliers to transfer money. They create hypothetical scenarios to push a supplier to share his/her information. For example - they might ask them to share their personal details or OTP to get their Meesho account unblocked or to prevent it from getting blocked.
What to do when you receive a fake telephone call?
We strongly advise you to not attend such unsolicited calls or share sensitive data including bank account information details such as OTP, UPI/ATM PIN, CVV or credit/debit card details or or personal information like Aadhaar or Pan Card details to anyone claiming to be a Meesho’s representative.
You can report such incidents to us at legalsupport@meesho.com.
Preventive Measure
You can outsmart a fraudster if you keep yourself aware of the common tactics used by them in phone scams. Below are the measures you can take to effectively prevent phone scam
- Meesho never asks for OTPs or personal information (name, phone number, email, bank details) over calls. Additionally, you will never be contacted personally by Meesho about unauthorised offers, lotteries, contests, schemes, or request money for such participation. If you get a call where you are being asked for such details, it is best to not entertain such a call
- Set up a strong password for your Meesho account. Make sure that the password you choose is not used at any other site.
- Avoid paying any money or deposit funds to any person wrongfully claiming to be Meesho’s representative or job consultant(s). Neither Meesho nor any of its representative or authorised recruitment consultants take money or any other kind of payment for employment at Meesho or for enrolment on the Supplier panel of Meesho
- The caller might ask you to click on an unknown link. By clicking on the link you are at a risk of sharing your personal information. Be cautious about such situations
- Do not pay fees for any prizes or rewards offered on your phone
- Never respond to links asking you to update your user account or password
- Report such suspicious activity to Meesho’s legal support at legalsupport@meesho.com
Where to find reliable information about Meesho?
We love to connect with you and update you about our offers, sale events, and more. Following are the official sources of accessing information about Meesho -
Website - You can shop and access the latest updates and information on https://meesho.com/. It is our official website where you can find trusted information about Meesho.
App communication - We actively communicate with our users through our app. It is in the form of push notifications, community announcements, and more. You can also use the help section in the app to resolve your queries/complaints.
Official App Download Links Of Meesho
User support - In a case of a fraud or scam, you can reach out to us at legalsupport@meesho.com, for further clarity from our side.
Meesho social media account - We also update you about our exciting events and offers through our social media accounts.
You can connect with us on -
Official Instagram pages of Meesho: meeshoapp lifeatmeesho
Official Twitter account of Meesho: @Meesho_Official
Official Medium Account of Meesho: meesho-tech
Ending Notes
Meesho takes strong measures in ensuring the safety of its users. We take strict actions against fraudsters. However, to further prevent the occurrences of such fraudulent cases we need our users to act cautiously.
For more information please take a look at our policy on anti phishing.
