Fake Order Confirmation and Cancel Request Call on WhatsApp

How it looks on WhatsApp, the red flags and what to do.

WhatsApp scams arrive from numbers you do not know, from a friend whose account was taken over, or from a group you were added to without asking. Fake Order Confirmation and Cancel Request Call is one of the ways this shows up: An SMS or call says an expensive order was placed in your name and offers a cancel link. The cancel page is built to steal your card or UPI PIN.

What fake order confirmation and cancel request call looks like on WhatsApp

• A message from an unknown number, often with a stock photo of a smiling person.
• A friend or relative asking for urgent money from a new number or a hacked account.
• A group invite promising returns, jobs or prizes.

The scammer sends a bulk message with an invented order amount, product name and order number. He does not need to know what you bought, because the shock of a large unknown purchase is enough to make you act. The sender name or email sign-off copies a popular shopping brand, and the layout copies a real receipt with a tidy table of items and a delivery date.

Red flags to check on the WhatsApp message

• A high-value order appears that you did not place.
• The cancel option is a link or a phone number inside the same message.
• The caller wants an OTP, a PIN or an app installed in order to cancel.
• A short deadline is given before the item is 'dispatched'.
• Someone asks for the six-digit code WhatsApp sent you by SMS.
• A new number says it is someone you know and asks for money; call the real person on the old number first.

What to do

1. Open the shopping app yourself and check your order history for the item.
2. Do not tap the link or call the number in the message.
3. If there is no such order, ignore the message and report the number via Sanchar Saathi.
4. Do not click links or open files. Do not send money or codes.
5. Open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Block and report.
6. If it was a "friend", call them on the number you already have and ask.

Inside WhatsApp use Block and report; for numbers that call or text you, the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) also takes complaints.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in straight away with the SMS and the payment reference.
2. Call your bank on the number on your card and ask to block the card and any pending transaction.
3. Remove any app the caller made you install and change your passwords from a different device.
4. Check the shopping account and email for logins you did not make.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Paste the order message into Scam check in Safeavio Sentinel, or share it from your messages app, and it shows the reasons it looks risky, such as pressure and a request for a code. Link check tests the cancel link before you open it. If you installed an app on a caller's request, Phone scan can show newly installed apps and risky permissions. Safeavio cannot confirm whether an order exists in your account, so check the shopping app itself.

Full guide: Fake Order Confirmation and Cancel Request Call: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, phone call, email.

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