Bengaluru: Paytm cashback fraud; Ex-employee arrested

Bengaluru: A former employee of e-payment platform Paytm has been arrested in connection with a fraud case in Bengaluru.

The accused has been identified as Deepan Chakravarthi (24), a resident of BettaHalasuru.

Deepan earlier worked at the e-payment platform.  His job taps into those who are not aware of how a UPI-based app works. He would often visit various commercial establishments and explain the benefits of installing the app.

Deepan would then install the app on their phone and also guide the users. During his stint, he had collected the phone numbers and passwords of several customers.

A year ago, he quit his job and began calling his old customers asking to deposit an amount in exchange for a cashback. Once the money was deposited, he would use the password to transfer the amount to his bank account.

In December 2021, he called one of his customers and introduced himself as Paytm executive Rajesh.  He then asked the customer to deposit Rs 20,000 in their Paytm wallet to avail cashback. As soon as the money was deposited, he withdrew Rs 19,000 from the customer’s account.

The victim then filed a police complaint after which Deepan was arrested. Police officials have also seized Two sim cards and a mobile phone from the accused.