Check Before Calling - Beware of Fraud

Last week, I was busy when I received a call from the mobile number- 995416754.

The caller "Sanjay Manjhi" said there was a parcel in my name.

I asked if the delivery agent had reached my address.

He said that he was calling from the head-office, and the delivery agent was unable to find my address.

--

The caller requested me to call the number of the delivery person that he had messaged me.

The caller said that the agent was close to my home but unable to locate my address, and it would be nice if I called him and guided him.

I asked him to call the agent and to ask the agent to call me.

He could search for our address on the map, as it is very much registered online.

I have been receiving parcels from delivery agents without any issues.

He asked where is the address?!

I said he would have my address as the address must be on the parcel!

As the caller requested me to call the number he had messaged, I opened my SMS inbox.

I found the message, and there were some extra characters apart from the phone number.

I ignored the *21* & # namely the extra non-related digits in the message, and I simply copied the 10-digit given mobile number and dialled- 8434909230

That number was switched off.

I called "Sanjay Manjhi" and told him that I had called that number and it was not reachable, and asked him to communicate to the agent directly.

He asked me to dial the numbers in the entire message given in the SMS i.e. *21*84349 09230#

Why was he so insistent that I call the agent using those very characters and numbers?

If this were a genuine case, they would have done the job of reaching out, instead of creating a sense of urgency and requesting and even threatening that the parcel will be returned!

I calmly and firmly said that I was not going to dial any other numbers.

"You will not call that number?" He sounded flustered.

"No, I will not call", I replied being very sure that I was doing the right thing.

By then, I had suspected that this was a fraud call, and that the scammer was trying to do Call Forwarding.

I immediately checked online- what *21* was.

My guess was right.

It was indeed their plan to activate call forwarding and gain access to my number's messages.

And that plan was foiled as I did some quick checking and thinking.

You can see the SMS conversation:

He tried calling me twice.

But, I did not receive his calls.

I understood *21* with # caused Call Forwarding.

I found-

The code *#121# is the code that can be used to check the status of unconditional call forwarding on your mobile device.

Dialing this number and pressing “Call” will show if your calls, SMS, and data are being forwarded to another number, along with the specific phone number it is redirected to.

One can disable active forwarding by immediately dialing ##002#

I checked the Call Forwarding status on my phone.

Nothing is active now, as it is "Disabled".

Identity Theft

In this digital age, there is extensive usage of technology. It comes with its own advantages and challenges too.

Identity theft is one such issue.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud.

Source: HDFC Bank mailer

People may misuse our name or other identification details and pretend to be us.

E-commerce- Growth And Opportunities #ECommerceBuildsEconomy

The Covid19 pandemic and lockdown affected many sectors, but contributed to the further growth of e-commerce in the world. The twentieth and the twenty-first years of the twenty-first century have especially gifted many lessons and opportunities for businesses. 

Growth-

E-commerce industry has grown by adding newer customers and cities on its map. As per RedSeer Consulting’s report [1], the following points are noted-

1. "India’s digital economy to touch $800 billion by 2030"

2. "Of digital economy, online retail remains a big part which will likely touch $350B GMV by 2030"

GMV means Gross Merchandise Value

3. "India’s online shopper base to be the second largest globally"

4. "While organized retail will be leapfrogged by online retail before CY30, kiranas will remain strong"

CY means Calendar Year

5. "In India, online retail enabler e-logistics has also become the fastest growing market globally"

6 Wishes That Come True With Flipkart

Wishes come true!

Oh yes! They do!

When we have a wish to be fulfilled,

There are places where we are thrilled!

No dreaming of Genie or closing eyes!

No magic lamp or words, yet all is nice!


There's Flipkart that presents a great variety!

Choose what we want/like & receive in our city!

No sweating in the sun or commuting long distances!

Flipkart has many products to appeal our senses!

Just sit in the comfort of our home & pick & choose!

With Flipkart we save a lot & have nothing to lose!


In the cyberspace we have a whole marketplace!

Products reach us within a few hours or days!

What we want & how we want it is taken care.

There are great offers and deals beyond compare!

Window-shopping has got a new meaning now!

Flipkart has amazing offers that are simply wow!

When I saw this film from Flipkart, I really enjoyed how the mother weaves a modern day fairytale for her little one. The wish master, who lives in the land of wishes, works tirelessly around the clock to make little kids like Yashi’s dreams come true!

Here are the 6 Wishes that Come True for Me with Flipkart:

A wonderland of choices - Variety is the spice of life! There are so many options to choose from! I personally live to spend hours window shopping to find the right gift. There is so much to choose from that I often end up buying more!

Faster than the Flash!- Speedy delivery with option for express delivery - The delivery is very efficient and we get our product neatly packaged. We can opt for the express delivery too if we want something urgently & to be delivered within a few hours! I remember a time where kids used to wait months on end to get the doll or toy they wished for. Now, the wishmaster’s magic has it to them in no time flat!

It’s raining Offers! – They say the 'Customer is King' and with so many offers on Flipkart, I truly feel like one! Love the way the quality stays the same but the price can make you happy!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! – With Flipkart’s “Compare” feature, shopping is a cakewalk! Want to know if you’re getting the best product from your choices? With Flipkart, I get to compare and voila! my decision is done!

Life is Easy! - In the rare case, you didn’t get what you wanted, then the exchange process is easy & simple! I once got a shoe that was not my size and you know what? The friendly Flipkart representative solved my problem in a jiffy!

It’s all Smooth Sailing! From payment to product safety to delivery, we are taken care of!  We have a host of options for payment. Accurate Order tracking and status is available! Also, we can reach the Customer Service at anytime where queries are answered efficiently! My last order was so smooth that the gift arrived the very next day of my order – I ordered late at night and the next evening, it was there!

#EveryWishFulfilled is definitely true with Flipkart! I continue to look to them to make all my future wishes come true!

Just Like Her!

She was smart and highly qualified.

Her family wanted to get her married. Everyone’s concern was that she will be 40 soon and that her biological-clock was ticking. 

40 was still some years away. But, she was sick and tired of the way people exaggerated & hounded her...

Made her wish she could just disappear to some place far away... 
 

“Main hoon hi nahin is duniya ki!” (I don’t belong to this world) She sang a Hindi-movie song. 

It was her life and she wanted to live it her own way. They wanted her to start a new life and set up her own home. 

Source: Housing.com

But, she wanted to get married if and only if she could find a compatible partner. As she believed in astrology, she wanted her horoscope and likes and dislikes to be a perfect-match with her life-partner. By perfect she meant- cent percent! Her family had given up hope as the best match they could arrive after matching hundreds of horoscopes was 75%! 

Small Car to Big Car!

Mr. Sen is my next door neighbour. He has a blue-coloured “small car” that he wishes to change. 

I know so many details about his car! You must be wondering- how do I know? Well, each time we meet in our building's premises, Mr.Sen never fails to mention about his “small car”. Over the years, I have learnt the history about Mr. Sen's car- when he bought it, how he bought it, why he bought it... 

Mr.Sen had bought a second-hand car, the first car of his life, a decade ago so that he and his daughter, MunMun, who was in college then, could learn how to drive together. The plan was that both of them would learn driving using a second-hand “small car” and then once they were confident drivers, he would upgrade his car. I had been hearing this story ever since I shifted to our apartment-complex. Being a software professional, I  travel often and my car, parked under the cover, gathers layers of dust. Back from yet another official trip, I was cleaning my car in the garage when I saw Mr.Sen. 

He said, "You know, Sid, I really have to change my car! My retirement is next year and I am still using a small car!”

“I have been hearing about your plans for so many years now, Mr.Sen! It’s high time you implement your plans!” I remarked.

Source: Microsoft Office ClipArt