A payment of just Tk1 more than required — used as a pretext — is emerging as a key tactic in a growing wave of online shopping scams, with victims losing tens of thousands of takas to fraudsters posing as Facebook sellers.
Investigations by TIMES have found that these scams follow a calculated pattern: Attracting buyers with low-priced products, taking advance payments, then gradually extracting more money using new excuses, and ultimately cutting off all communication.
At least 92 such incidents were reported in March alone, according to information obtained by TIMES. The complaints include failure to deliver products after orders are placed, supplying low-quality or different items, as well as cases of counterfeit and expired goods being sent.
How the trap works
The scam typically begins with advertisements on Facebook offering products at unusually low prices – often too good to be true.
Once a buyer shows interest, sellers ask for a small advance payment to “confirm” the order. After that, buyers are asked to pay the full amount before delivery.
The turning point comes next. Fraudsters claim there has been a “minor error” in payment – often as trivial as sending Tk1 extra or less – and insist that the transaction has failed due to a “system issue.” Victims are then persuaded to send the amount again, with assurances that the earlier payment will be refunded.
What follows is a cascade of additional demands: OTP verification, delivery charges, registration fees – each presented as a temporary step before receiving the product or refund.
By the time suspicion arises, the damage is already done. Communication is then cut off. In many cases, the Facebook page disappears or reappears under a different name.
Laptop deal turns into Tk45,449 loss
Sourav Roy, a student at Dhaka University, fell victim to one such scam while trying to purchase an HP EliteBook Dragonfly G4 laptop from a Facebook page named BF Laptop Hub.
The advertised price – Tk14,499 – seemed like a bargain. Sourav paid Tk1,000 in advance to confirm the order. The next day, a man claiming to be a delivery agent called and instructed him to pay the remaining Tk13,499 via bKash, promising that an OTP would follow and the laptop would be delivered.
Sourav sent Tk13,500 – just Tk1 extra. That “mistake” triggered the trap. “He told me the courier couldn’t release the product because I sent Tk1 more,” Sourav said. “He said I had to send the correct amount again, and the previous payment would be refunded.”
Trusting the assurance, he sent the money again. Then an OTP arrived, which another so-called “courier representative” Collected.
Soon after, another demand came – Tk17,450 as a “registration fee,” supposedly refundable. “By then, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Sourav said. “They kept saying everything would be refunded.” In total, he lost Tk45,449.
When he later visited the address listed on the Facebook page, he found no such shop. Realising he had been scammed, he filed a general diary at Shahbagh Police Station.
Police say the case is awaiting further action pending court procedures. Tk799 panjabi leads to Tk10,597 loss
A similar pattern played out in Rajshahi, where Rajium Nahar Arohi attempted to buy a panjabi priced at Tk799 from a Facebook page called Icon Fashion.
She first paid Tk200 as an advance. On delivery day, she was asked to send the remaining Tk599 to receive an OTP. Like Sourav, she sent Tk600 – Tk1 extra.
She was then told the payment had failed due to the discrepancy and was instructed to send it again. What followed was a series of escalating demands – Tk1,599, then Tk3,198 – each time with the promise of a full refund.
“They kept saying all the money would be refunded,” Arohi said. “So I continued.” At one point, when she demanded her money back, she was told the “manager” was on leave.
Days later, another demand came – Tk38,200. When she refused, she was persuaded to send Tk5,000 as a partial settlement. She never received any refund.
In total, she lost Tk10,597. The page Icon Fashion has since disappeared; the same link now redirects to a different name.
Authorities overwhelmed, gaps remain
Law enforcement agencies acknowledge the rise in such fraud. DMP’s Detective Branch Cyber Crime Unit Joint Commissioner Harun Ur Rashid said a large number of complaints are being received, but identifying those responsible remains a challenge. “These fraudsters often operate through multiple accounts and change identities quickly,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate says regulatory gaps persist.
Md Masum Arefin, director of complaints and investigation, said there are plans to introduce a legal framework for online businesses — a move experts say is long overdue.
