How local search engine Just Dial is becoming haven for fraudsters

Touted as Indias number 1 local search engine Just Dial is slowly becoming a haven for fraudsters looking to make a quick buck by cheating those who use the website The search engine which claims to help users find relevant providers of products and services is seemingly not being thorough when it comes to verifying the authenticity of the companies it lists as midday found out during a test drive following an increasing number of police complaintsmidday launched the drive after observing several incidents of crimes related to Just DialComplaints across MumbaiVarious victims have registered complaints at police stations across Mumbai alleging they were duped by conmen with whom they connected with after searching for the required services on Just DialAs part of the test drive midday reporters registered on the website on December 4 under two names One is a reputed finance company while the other is a wellknown packers and movers company Initially they said they cannot register the names given by midday But after being told that we wont go through with the transaction if we werent listed under the names wed asked for they agreed to go ahead with the listing without any changesThe fake listings created by midday on Just DialNo detailed checksThe enrolment was for a year Initially they were demanding Rs 30000 for the registrations but after a lot of bargaining they reduced the charge by 50 per cent The companies were registered for Rs 7500 each including GSTWhen it came to documents at first the company only asked for the proprietors PAN and Aadhar card details without bothering to crosscheck whether the companies being registered were legitimate However a Just Dial representative made a verification call to the midday reporter on December 14 where his name email ID contact numbers and the companys name and address were asked forAll of this information was taken at face value In response to middays questionnaire Just Dial said free listings could be created by anyone but middays listings were sponsored even then no crossverification was done midday wasnt asked for the registration number of the company or any sort of documents related to itIt has been almost a fortnight since the fake listings went live and midday has been getting calls ever since for the finance company as well as the packers and moversRaise an alarmmidday chose the names of the finance and packers and movers companies hoping that Just Dial officials would raise an alarm about them since there was a recent FIR against a conman whod cheated several people by posing as the finance company on Just Dial The movers and packers company is another notorious name on the site as people have been cheated by fraudsters claiming to be from there midday reached out to Just Dial regarding the testdrive see box The other sideWhen conmen came calling Packers and non moversLast year Charkop resident Chandni Chheda 30 was moving to Kutch She called Just Dial to ask for contact details of movers and packers and soon received a call from Gopal Krishna Packers on April 30 2017 Soon after the companys staffers came and packed all her possessions and gave her a receipt under the name of Sahara Packers The company had promised to deliver the belongings in Kutch within three days but the goods never arrived When Chheda contacted the company their phones were switched off She approached the Charkop police station and registered a complaint Cops traced the accused and recovered Chhedas belongings from Naigaon Chheda said In this case Just Dial is as guilty as the packers and movers who have registered fictitious companies for the sake of a few penniesDraining financesIn November Malvani resident Sharif Hussain was cheated of Rs 40000 while seeking a loan of R5 lakh after he called a popular finance company upon getting their contact from Just Dial After he filed a complaint the cops laid a trap and caught one of the accused Hussain said But this gang is still active and people are being cheated Cops are not taking the matter seriously anymoreThe other sideHow many companies and individuals are registered on JDJust Dial has a database of 238 million listings as on 30 Sep 2018What is the process and cost of registration for an individualcompanyThere are two types of listings free listings and sponsored listings Any business can list itself for free on Just Dial The registration listing for any individualcompany is subject to the terms of services as published on our website and shared at the time to sponsored listings This requirement is in consonance with IT Act 2000 as amended and intermediaries guidelines Among other process we have also availed services for verification purposes as an abundant cautionIs there a process in place to authenticate or verify the documents submitted for registration on JD If yes please explainYes The details are given in the second pointDo you have the number of FIRs lodged against people for registering themselves with false credentials on Just Dial to cheat peopleThis information is not available with us since Just Dial is just an intermediary an information platform for local search We deactivate any nongenuine listings and ensure that information provided on the portal is accurate The company has specialized in local search over the last 22 yearsHas JD has compensated anyone for the frauds committed by people registering on it with false credentialsJust Dial is just a platform to connect users buyers with listings sellers We do our best to ensure users interests are adequately protectedmidday reporters registered on JD without submitting a single document about their professional credentialsAs mentioned in the second point free listings can be created by any business owner Any nongenuine listings even if created get deactivated or corrected through various checks and balances that we have to ensure accuracy of data on Just Dial While we are furnishing above requested details you are requested to bring to our notice any concerns or user complaints that you may have received We shall do our best to address those concerns we place unparalleled importance in ensuring that our users get genuine informationmidday reached out to the company with more questions but they had not responded till the time of going to pressDo a good background checkCyber lawyer Puneet Bhasin said Users share their details to contact one particular vendor online But when many vendors start contacting them it is a breach of privacy and an offence on the part of the company when a user has not expressly consented to widespread sharing of his data Just Dial will have to soon change its marketing strategy and stop sharing user data with vendors not authorized by the user in keeping with the Privacy Bill which will be soon enacted Even under the current Information Technology Act this methodology of business is questionable However as an intermediary Just Dial is not liable for frauds committed by vendors listed on its portal except when its a verified vendor and Just Dial is taking responsibility When seeking services of vendors through any portal like Just Dial it is important to vet the credentials of the vendors before engaging them and doing a good background check There are many frauds on online portals and a buyer must bewareCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates