Internet Marketing Fraud Exposed

The Economic Offences Wing, Crime Branch, Delhi Police has arrested a Web Designer involved in the internet based e-marketing scam though the interactive marketing portal www.ebay.com

A complaint was received in EOW from one Sh. Pankaj Kumar Sharma r/o J-81/A, Mudit Apartment, Dilsad Colony, Delhi-95 alleging therein that he had won an auction for a seal packed NOKIA 9500 Communicator Mobile phone through the internet from a seller with the id ‘amitb8261’ listed by well-known internet shopping site eBay.com. He made a payment of Rs. 20,251 (cost of phone Rs. 20,000/- + delivery charges Rs. 251/-) through a City Bank credit card on 02.04.06, after having registered as a buyer on eBay on 23.03.06 as ‘panrti_buyer’.

The complainant had alleged that the delivery period was about ten days and delivery address as J-81/A, Dilshad Colony, Delhi – 95 with the shipping address as A-201, Shivam Appt., Vikram Nagar, CGHS, Sec-12, Plot No- 14, Dwarka, Delhi-75. But no such cell phone was received by the complainant. On request, the complainant was provided the registered address and phone number of the seller, by eBay. However when the complainant contacted this man named Amit Bhardwaj he told the complainant that someone had fraudulently misused his name and account and that he did not own any seller’s site on e-bay. By using this modus operandi some unknown person had cheated the complainant with tune of Rs. 20,251/-. On the basis of the complaint a case FIR No. 412/07 u/s 420 IPC was registered at PS Seemapuri and investigation taken up by the IPR and Cyber Crime Section of EOW.

Information obtained from eBay revealed that the alleged seller ID ‘amitb8261’ was created on 05.01.06 by a person who had entered his name as Amit Bhardwaj, r/o C-96, DDA Flats, Saket, New Delhi with the shipping address as C-85, DDA Appt., Saket, Opp. Modi Hospital, Delhi – 17. The mobile No. was given as 9350151947 at the time of registration of this ID. At the time of registering a seller, the website has no system of cross checking the information provided by a customer. eBay also confirmed that the user ‘amitb8261’ had in fact cheated 3 customers using the same modus operandi and that they had made a complaint to the Mumbai Police in this regard.

After receiving the payment from the buyers ( victims ) and deducting the commission, a demand draft of HDFC Bank of Rs. 49,558/- (combined draft of three buyers namely:- sunil_nagar (Rs.19,351/-), panrti_buyer(Rs. 20,251/-) and ronny18015(Rs.11,350/-) ) was sent to the address of ‘amitb8261’ namely 2B/24, Saidulajab, IGNOU Road, Opp. Anupam Appt., besides Chaudhary Property, New Delhi- 30 through Blue Dart Courier on 07.04.06 by eBay vide Airway Bill No. 32228254203. The alleged ‘amitb8261’ had provided his bank account No. as 160010200005197 of the Bank of Baroda with the account name as M/s VEXAT INC.

During investigations the owner of the mobile no. 9350151947 was examined. It was found that the phone number belonged to one Amit Bhardwaj r/o 3 rd floor 12-A, DDA Park, Kotla Munbarakpur, Delhi. The address was found to be different from the one available with eBay. It was thus confirmed that someone was misusing his identity. Further, the address C-96, DDA Flats, Saket, New Delhi, which was mentioned in the client registration form of Ebay was also found to be false. Investigation conducted from Bank of Baroda revealed that the a/c no. 160010200005197 did not exist with the said bank. On further enquiry from other banks it was found that the given bank account belonged to UTI bank, Saket Branch, Delhi.

The details of this account were collected from the UTI Bank, Saket. As per the details provided by UTI Bank, it is found that on 12.04.06 Rs. 49458.94 were credited in this account no. 160010200005197 in the name of M/s VEXAT Inc. o/o A-11/F, IInd Floor Paryavaran Complex, IGNOU Road, Saidulajab, Delhi vide demand draft number 256571 of HDFC Bank. The proprietor of this company was Tarang Bhargava s/o Sh. Mahinder Kumar Bhargava R/o A-11/F, IInd Floor, Paryavaran Complex,IGNOU Road, New Delhi-30. Further, from the delivery sheet of Blue Dart Express Ltd., the phone number of M/s VEXAT Inc was collected. The said telephone number was found to be installed at Shop No. 2, Behind Chaudhary Properties, Opp. Anupam Apartment Gate No. 2, IGNOU Road, Saidulajab, Delhi. The S hop No. 2B/24, Besides Chaudhary Properties, Opp. Anupam Apartment Gate No. 2, IGNOU Road, Saidulajab, Delhi. – 110 013 was found locked. Enquiry from the owner Shri D. P. Chaudhary reveal that the said shop was rented to one Tarang Bhargava who had shifted the office to another place.

Local enquires revealed that the new office of M/s VEXAT Inc had shifted to A-84, Rose Apartment, Paryavaran Complex, IGNOU Road, New Delhi. A trap was laid by the police team and the alleged Tarang Bhargava was arrested from his office.

The accused Tarang Bhargava s/o Sh. Mahinder Bhargava r/o A-11/F, IInd Floor, Paryavaran Complex, IGNOU Road, Neb Sarai, New Delhi has passed only the 12 th class. Subsequently he completed a course in Computer Web Designing Course and gained an expertise in affiliated e-marketing through the internet. In April 2005 he started his proprietary company in the name of M/s VEXAT Inc from his home and started an affiliated e-marketing (Internet Advertising) business. Besides through his company he had designed a number of websites for various client on the internet. Subsequently he rented an office space at 2B/24, Saidulajab, IGNOU Road, Opp. Anupam Appt., besides Chaudhary Property, New Delhi-30.. In order to earn more money, he hatched the scheme of selling non existent mobile phones through the internet. For the same, he created a network of fake email ids, addresses and bank accounts for collecting and misappropriating the money without being caught. Using the same modus operandi he had cheated a number of persons. However only a scrutiny of the bank account would reveal the exact extent of the fraud perpetuated by the arrested accused and the total number of victims.

For Further Reference.

( PRABHAKAR )

Deputy Commissioner of Police,

Economic Offences Wing,Crime Branch

Website: www.delhipolice.nic.in

E-mail: delpol@del2.vsnl.net.in