Nykaa Customers Complain of Receiving Calls from Scammers in Possession of Personal Information

Data privacy is a term that is no longer alien to consumers in India thanks to the increased focus on the topic due to the upcoming data privacy laws in India. Customers are much more aware of their rights when it comes to personal data than they used to be. This, in turn, has led to companies paying a lot more attention to securing the personal data of consumers. However, a peculiar occurrence with the customers of popular beauty, wellness, and fashion e-commerce website Nykaa has left users puzzled.

Nykaa customers have been receiving calls from scammers claiming to be customer service executives of the e-commerce portal who are obviously trying to scam users into paying them money in the garb of lucrative offers. “Hi, I’m Jyoti, customer service executive of Nykaa. You are one of the five lucky customers of Nykaa who have been chosen for this offer. Congratulations! You can choose from the following products,” said the scammer to the clueless customer who spoke to Dataquest about her experience.

She was offered the following products:

• Dell Inspiron
• Sony Bravia TV
• Apple iPhone
• Voltas AC
• LG double door fridge.

When the curious Nykaa customer went on to ask what she would have to do to receive her product, the answer from the scammer was that she would not have to pay any money, but would only have to open a link they send to her mobile number. The scammer even had her address, and the details of the last purchase. “I realised something was amiss, so I cut the call. I, however, came to believe that this was a scam call indeed after I received three calls back to back from the same number after I cut the call. I have never seen any company that anxious to deliver free products to customers,” she said to Dataquest.

Upon Investigating the matter, it was found that several other customers have faced a similar issue. “Today I got a call from someone claiming he is from Nykaa (8697153574). He told me there was a promo offer, where if I purchased items for INR 5999, I would get 3000 cashback. In addition to that, I could choose an additional gift of TV/iPhone/whatnot,” says Sushmitha on Twitter while sharing a thread on her ordeal.

Today I got a call from someone claiming he is from #nykaa (8697153574)He told me there was a promo offer, where if I purchased items for INR 5999, I would get 3000 cash back. In addition to that, I could choose an additional gift of TV/iPhone/what not.

More details in thread. pic.twitter.com/bXE0kGjele

— sushmitha (@sushh7) August 4, 2021

“I have been getting calls from alleged Nykaa employee telling me I have been selected as a winner and they gave me 4 expensive gifts options. They knew my home address and details. They are asking me to pay for an order for max 2k and avail the gift,” says Parthvi Gangwar like several others. Another customer has even questioned Nykaa if there was a data breach as the scammer had all their personal details.

@DelhiPolice I have been getting scam calls from +91 86971 69716 in the name of @MyNykaa . Nykaa app has leaked confidential information such as my payment method, order details and other such sensitive data to scammers. I was being brainwashed into transferring money

— Dipanshu Chadha (@ChadhaDipanshu) August 5, 2021

Nykaa is aware of the matter, and has responded to consumers saying: “Hey, Nykaa is not involved in any such offer. We request you to not entertain any such calls or respond to any messages. Nykaa offers are mentioned on the website.” However, this has not answered customers’ questions about how personal data submitted to the e-commerce site in confidence was acquired by scammers.

I have got the same call claiming to be from Nykaa. I knew they were frauds. However they knew my name address everything. I am a little bit confused how they got all the details. Is there a breach in Nykaa's website? @MyNykaa @MumbaiPolice please check these numbers & this tweet

— Mahwish Khan (@Mahwish00184201) July 31, 2021

“Nykaa NEVER solicits details like your OTP/CVV/PIN/PAN/AADHAR. Hackers/Scamsters will try ways to extract your personal and/or sensitive information. For the safety of your personal and business accounts, please do not respond to any unsolicited e-mails, calls, WhatsApp or messages, and never provide any personal information. Please report suspicious activities to grievanceofficercs@nykaa.com,” added Nykaa.

Tips for Customers to Identify Scam Calls Claiming to be from Nykaa

While most consumers are aware that these calls are from fraudsters, some of them could be naive enough to believe that it is true. The following are some of the tips to keep in mind to avoid getting duped:

• Nykaa always advertises its offers on its official app, and website. Users are advised to cross-check with the website on receiving such calls.
• The scammers will try their best to convince the consumer into either paying or sharing their personal details. They may even send links from unknown numbers.
• Nykaa has dedicated call center numbers. Calls received from scammers will be regular numbers from service providers like BSNL, Vodafone, Airtel, and Reliance Jio.
• Scammers may call repeatedly even if a customer cuts the call as their incentive is to trick the customer into paying money. Customer care executives from Nykaa would not call their customers in that manner.