Beware of letter in name of Meesho offering 12.5 lakh rupees, it is a scam
One such offer letter, along with a scratch card, is being shared on social media platforms in the name of Meesho- an online fashion startup in India. The scratch card shows the lottery amount to be 12.5 lakh rupees.
Catchy offers are difficult to resist, many such lucrative offers are made by scamsters to trap innocent people share their personal details. This happens either through fraudulent links shared online on social media or via letters mentioning that they have won the lottery and need to fill in the details to get the money.
One such offer letter, along with a scratch card, is being shared on social media platforms in the name of Meesho- an online fashion startup in India. The scratch card shows the lottery amount to be 12.5 lakh rupees.
The letter states 'Meesho online shopping pvt ltd is celebrating its birthday celebration and the company has selected few customers in random lucky draw contest. The letter goes on to say that the coupon can be redeemed by calling on the toll-free number 745006281 or sending SMS or Whatsapp the coupon code to 7450056281 or visit the website www.meeshogift.com
Details like Bank account number, account holder name, pan card details, adhar number are asked to be filled up. HSBC bank is mentioned as the banking partner.
Fact check:
The letter is a fraud and lottery claim is FALSE.
When the phone number shared in the letter is searched using apps like truecaller, we found that the number is listed as spam. The website mentioned in the letter – www.meeshogift.com is non-functional.
When searched with the keywords "meesho lottery", we found that several users on different social media platforms about the "Meeshoscam" that is in circulation.Meesho itself warned its users about the scams that are going on in its name. It released a legal notice stating "BEWARE! IT'S NOT US, BUT A SCAMSTER
We have noticed that there have been several incidents where Meesho's name is misused to collect personal information as well as to cheat and mislead the customers. BEWARE of such frauds and phishing activities and by following these steps you can identify and safeguard yourself from such scamsters:
- Be vigilant. Please do not divulge any personal or sensitive data including bank details such as OTP, UPI/ATM PIN, CVV or credit/debit card details to anyone claiming to be a Meesho's representative.
- Ensure that you do not click on any suspicious links or any unauthorized web portals or social media posts.
- Watch out for any suspicious calls, fake messages, unsolicited or spam e-mails and any communication sent to you by the unauthorized person(s) asking you to share any personal information malafidely under the pretext of processing refund claims, soliciting to participate in any unauthorized offers, lotteries, contests or scheme or asking for payment of money for such participation or to receive any award thereof or offering any job opportunity.
- 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 it's representative or authorized recruitment consultants take money or any other kind of payment for jobs.
- Report any incident which you believe to be fake or misleading, immediately to us to stay safe from such fraud or phishing.
- Ensure that you transact with us using the authorized channels of Meesho including it's platform, approved social media pages or valid and genuine contact details to keep yourselves safe and secure from such fraud or phishing.
We are concerned about the security of your online transactions with us and always strive to keep a safe and secure user experience for you. In case of any queries please reach out to us at legalsupport@meesho.com"
https://www.meesho.com/legal/anti-phishing-alert
Meesho also released a blog where the company discusses the types of lottery frauds going on these days, which include scratch cards, lucky draw contests, and others. They also mention the ways to avoid these frauds which include Do not pay fees for prizes, rewards, or lotteries, Never respond to links asking you to update your user account or password, and Report such suspicious activity to Meesho's legal support at legalsupport@meesho.com