It was a pleasant October morning, Krishna, a resident of Vasant Enclave in Delhi was enjoying his cup of coffee when he received an unknown call.
“Hello, who is this?” replied Krishna on receiving the call.
“Hello, I am a Treasury officer calling from Gwalior” replied the person on the other side of the call.
Krishna wondered why he would get a call from Gwalior.
He enquired further about the purpose of the call.
The person claimed, calmly and authoritatively, that he was from the agency that handled Krishna’s pension disbursal.
The way the accused talked and provided correct information about the pension disbursal agency made him trust that the call was a genuine one.
“Sir, it is an urgent need for you to update some documentation related to your pension account. If you fail to do so on time it may lead to disruptions in your pension payments”, replied the caller.
Worried about his future income Krishna agreed quickly to the documentation process.
He listened carefully to the steps the caller guided him to follow.
Moments later, the caller sent him a link for submitting his documents. And assured that after filling out the form his pension would be disbursed.
Krishna, without wasting even a second clicked on the link and provided all the details mentioned in the form. After the form submission, a message popped up on his phone showing that ₹11.70 lakh had been debited from his bank account.
Krishna went into a state of shock. In no time he realized he had been duped by the scammer. He never thought this small act could lead him to massive financial losses.
What Did the Investigation Uncover?
Without wasting any time Krishna filed a complaint against the fraud and registered an FIR. The investigation revealed the following points about the scam:
- The scammer had transferred ₹5 lakhs to a bank account in Asansol, West Bengal.
- The bank account was registered with the name, Lochan Prasad. He was using different locations and details to transfer money.
How The Scammer Got Arrested?
- The scammer was a mastermind and he kept changing his locations frequently.
- Due to changing locations, police faced difficulties in tracing him.
- But soon with persistent efforts, Police arrested the accused from Chattisgarh on November 9.
- Further interrogation from the arrested accused revealed the involvement of his associate Vikas Kumar in the case.
- Both the suspects are now in police custody.
Key Takeaways From the Incident
- Verify before you trust: Always double-check the identity of any person claiming to be an officer of any government department or financial institution.
- Avoid clicking on unknown links: Fraudsters generally share links through messages to the victims to trap them in phishing scams. Refrain from clicking links on unverified platforms.
- Do not believe in urgency: Never provide any of your details or documents to anyone in the name of an urgent need to act, otherwise, you may face disruptions.
How Can You Protect Yourself from Such Scams?
- Never share sensitive Information: Avoid sharing any passwords, bank details, or OTPs over phone calls or messages.
- Enable Two-factor Authentication: This extra layer of security added to your bank accounts can prevent any unauthorized access to your accounts.
- Taking appropriate protective measures: Keep your devices updated with the latest software versions and antivirus protection.
- Keep yourself updated and educated about such scams: Now and then financial scams are reported in different forms, so keep yourself aware and never fall prey to these traps.
How to Report Cyber Scams?
- Preserve evidence: Gather all the necessary proofs related to shared links, contact numbers, and bank transactions involved in the scam.
- Contact your payment provider: Whenever any such unauthorized transaction occurs, contact your bank to freeze all your transactions immediately.
- Report to Local Authorities: Do not waste time, take action and report the fraud to the nearest police station. Register an FIR providing the details of the scam.
- Report to concerned Authorities: File a complaint in Cyber Crime and if required escalate the matter to higher regulatory authorities like SEBI, RBI etc.
Conclusion
With the increase in expansion of the digital technology, the chances for cybercrime activities have also been rising. This story of Delhi residents losing ₹12 Lakhs in phishing scams is a stern reminder for us to stay informed and vigilant.
A single click can result in devastating losses of your hard-earned money. Further, this case highlights the importance of timely reporting the case and how it could help to recover the stolen money from the fraudsters.
Adequate awareness, caution, and swift actions can help you to protect yourself from being a target to these predators.
If you have been a victim of financial fraud and looking for help to report your case, fill in your contact details below and our team will provide you assistance in reporting the case.
