In pre-Covid days, online scammers were targeting general online buyers or sellers. Now, their hunting ground appears to be desperate citizens trying to procure Covid antibody-infused plasma.
Karthik M, 30, a techie in Ramamurthy Nagar who was scrambling to procure plasma for a family friend seriously ill with Covid-19, fell prey to this newest scam on Monday.
The incident allegedly happened after Karthik placed a request for plasma within several WhatsApp groups on Monday. "I had asked for help procuring plasma for the 54-year-old father-in-law of a friend admitted at Ramaiah hospital," he said.
Almost immediately, Karthik said, he was bombarded with phone calls by people (some known and some unknown), demanding to know about the patient’s condition. Finally, at 6.40 pm, Karthik said he received a call from an individual who claimed to be from a Rotary Blood Bank who promised plasma delivery within 30 minutes.
"It was a huge relief,” Karthik said. “The person spoke English and asked for patient details, including name, age, blood group etc. Then, he asked where the blood is needed. I told him MS Ramaiah hospital and he asked me to share the requisition letter. When I did so, he said that the doctors had asked for two units of blood."
The caller cited the price as Rs 3,500 per unit plus a Rs 1,050 registration fee. Karthik said he readily agreed to pay as he urgently required the plasma.
"The individual gave a second number to which payment was to be made but the number came up as 'Red Cross Society' on Google Pay. When asked about this, the caller claimed that the Rotary Bangalore bank accounts are maintained by the Red Cross," Karthik said.
Upon payment, the scammer even supplied him with a registration ticket.
When plasma did not arrive, Karthik tried calling the numbers again. They went unanswered. He said he managed to get through later that night. "The man told me that I had been defrauded. Initially, while he had spoken only English, now he began to speak only Hindi."
Jagath, Admin Manager at Rotary TTK Blood Bank, told DH that no blood bank would ever call people to offer plasma. "The supplies of plasma in the city are extremely limited and are carefully doled out. If people call up claiming to have plasma to sell, it is a clear red flag," he said.
Karthik added that he did not verify whether the number actually belonged to the Red Cross or the Rotary "as the situation was tense and we needed blood immediately".