Fake OTT scam Revealed: What’s The Story?

The emergence of OTT platforms in India has been beyond expectations and things are starting to shape up pretty well with more audience indulging in the same. But here we have a detrimental development in this regard.

Noida Police have uncovered a major cyber fraud racket involving fake OTT subscription sales, with Non Resident Indians as the primary targets. Acting on complaints, the Phase 1 Cyber Cell raided a call centre in Sector 2, Noida, and arrested several individuals running the scam under the guise of a legitimate company.

The accused contacted people living abroad through phone calls and social media, offering heavily discounted or so called lifetime subscriptions to popular OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus Hotstar.

Victims were told these plans were special international offers not available on official apps. Trusting these claims, many NRIs paid amounts ranging from 100 to 300 dollars.

Initially, victims were given login credentials that worked for a short time. Soon after, access would stop, and the scammers would demand additional payments, citing technical issues or renewal charges. In many cases, victims lost money multiple times before realizing they had been cheated.

Investigations revealed that the group used pirated accounts and illegally sourced personal data to carry out the fraud. Police seized computers, mobile phones and transaction records from the premises.

Authorities have warned the public to buy OTT subscriptions only through official platforms and avoid offers that seem unusually cheap, especially when approached through unsolicited calls or messages.