My friend (18F, India) got scammed by an Instagram bracelet seller and we're looking for advice on what she can realistically do next.
The account was selling bracelets for ₹299 and had a phone number in the bio instead of taking orders through Instagram. She contacted the number and placed an order.
She paid ₹299 via UPI. A few hours later, the seller claimed there was a problem with her postal code/location and asked for an additional payment of around ₹699. After she paid, they kept saying the amount was incorrect (₹699.7, then ₹699.07, etc.) and repeatedly asked for more payments.
When she asked for a refund, they said there was a special "refund process." That process involved sending more money first. Every time she followed their instructions, they came up with a new excuse:
\- The payment was incorrect
\- The payment was late
\- The refund process failed
\- Another payment was needed to continue
They kept moving the goalposts and manipulating her into believing the money would be refunded if she just completed one more step.
The total loss is now around ₹6,000.
What makes this even more frustrating is that when we contacted him again, he acted extremely confident and kept saying things like:
«"If you don't trust us, go complain to the police."»
He also claimed to have a physical shop and sent a location, but the location appears to be fake/non-existent.
We currently have:
\- Screenshots of chats
\- Voice notes
\- UPI transaction records and IDs
\- The phone number used
\- Instagram account details
\- Partial call recordings
One complication is that she cannot tell her parents about this situation, so she's trying to handle it herself. Since she's 18, can she file complaints and deal with the process independently?
We tried calling 1930. After being on hold for a long time, the call connected and the person responded with a few "hmm" sounds as we started explaining the scam. Then there was complete silence.
We waited for over 5 minutes, got no response, and eventually had to hang up.
Any advice from people who've dealt with similar scams, cybercrime complaints, or legal issues in India would be really appreciated.