Hyderabad man loses ₹2.47 lakh in fake DTDC courier message scam

Hyderabad: A 36-year-old man from Hyderabad lost ₹2.47 lakh in a cyber fraud after he clicked on a fake SMS link pretending to be from DTDC courier, police said on Tuesday.

According to officials, the victim received a message saying that a second delivery attempt for his parcel had failed. Since he was expecting his vehicle’s Registration Certificate (RC), he assumed the message was genuine and clicked on the link provided.

Soon after clicking, his phone froze and multiple OTP messages appeared. Within minutes, he received alerts that ₹2.47 lakh had been spent from his credit card. The man immediately locked his card using his banking app and contacted Kotak Bank’s helpline to block it and report the fraud.

Cybercrime Police have urged the public to be cautious of such scams, which are becoming increasingly common. They advised people not to trust courier delivery messages or click on unknown links, even if they appear to come from reputed companies.

“People should verify their delivery details only through the official websites or apps of courier companies,” police said. “Never share OTPs, PINs, or card details with anyone.”

Officials also advised citizens to keep track of their bank accounts using official apps and to act quickly if they notice any suspicious activity.

Police reiterated that no courier service or bank ever asks customers to click on links or share personal details, and urged everyone to stay alert and protect themselves from online scams.