Hyderabad, Sept. 16 -- A new cash-on-delivery (COD) fraud has emerged after social media influencer Tvisha Tuli shared a post on Instagram about how she was cheated into paying for non-existent parcels sent via genuine courier services.

In an online video, Tuli had explained that the package of face masks was first sent under a member's name when there had been no order. Though that parcel was rejected, another package of similar content had arrived days later for another family member. Expecting it to be real, someone in the family had accepted the delivery and paid Rs 700.

"When we opened the package, it wasn't written on the outside. There was something with Chinese writing inside. Even the QR code on the product couldn't be scanned,...