Delhi HC orders investigation into scam conducted under the guise of AJIO: what it is and how it duped people

The Delhi High Court has issued directives to the Delhi Police's Cyber Cell to initiate a thorough investigation into a large-scale scam involving the fraudulent collection of funds under the guise of the popular online fashion and lifestyle brand AJIO. This action comes on the heels of a complaint filed by Reliance Industries, the operator of the e-commerce platform www.ajio.com.

Justice Prathiba M. Singh, in an order, has instructed the Delhi Police's cyber cell to promptly adhere to legal procedures and submit a progress report. Furthermore, Justice Singh has granted the police the liberty to submit additional requests if they deem it necessary to safeguard the welfare of the general public.

Understanding the AJIO scam

The AJIO scam revolves around a nefarious scheme in which perpetrators employ scratch coupons, cards, and prize money offers to deceive unsuspecting individuals. Operating under the pretence of AJIO, these scammers coax people into depositing money for their deceptive schemes. Victims have reportedly been convinced to deposit sums ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,00,000 with the promise that they would gain access to lucrative scratch card rewards post-deposit.

The court, in its order, expressed conviction that unscrupulous individuals are orchestrating these operations with the sole purpose of illicitly accumulating funds in the names of 'AJIO' and 'AJIO Online Shopping Private Limited.'

Freezing bank accounts and scrutinising mobile numbers
To curb this fraudulent activity, the court has directed the freezing of relevant bank accounts and requested a comprehensive statement of account activities from inception to date. Additionally, KYC (know your customer) details and any available pertinent information have been requisitioned.

In a bid to thwart these scams, telecom service providers have been instructed to block the mobile numbers associated with these illicit activities and provide documentation pertaining to the identity of the individuals who registered these numbers.

Reliance's legal action
Reliance Industries' complaint centres on the protection of the "AJIO" trademark and logo. The lawsuit targets six individuals and entities who stand accused of sending deceptive communications under the guise of "AJIO Online Shopping Pvt. Ltd.," purportedly based in Kolkata. These fraudulent operations have allegedly swindled money from unsuspecting customers through scams and schemes.

The scammers have craftily used various mobile numbers and bank accounts to receive these deposits, even convincing recipients not to use AJIO's official customer care numbers.

Inputs from TOI