Watch out for cyber stalkers who have developed their modus operandi by taking advantage of the pandemic-induced digital payments. With the mandatory rules of going cashless, stalkers and cyber-harassers have found a new way to target victims by acquiring contact details through digital payment applications.
One such case was reported recently in Cyberabad wherein the victim purchased a cake from a bakery and paid money through Google Pay. “The accused, Marri Vivekananda Reddy, 24, is the owner of a bakery who took her phone number and started sending her lewd Whatsapp messages and harassing her by making calls and disturbing her mentally” shared the police, adding that the victim approached She Team for necessary action, following which he was apprehended.
Likita, a victim from Madhapur, who was subjected to something similar, said that mobile applications like Google Pay and others should find a way to mask the payee’s contact information by not revealing the complete number to the merchant. “I really wish something is done in this regard as this method is something we all use in our day to day life” she said.
Interestingly, there is no Google Pay customer care number as such where you can file a complaint. “You can submit your issue via Google Pay Help Centre. Alternatively, you can submit your issue in the ‘Help and feedback’ section of the Google Pay app. Here, you can request a call from a customer support executive” reads a query response.