A 67-year-old resident of Gahunje in Pune was defrauded of Rs 2 lakh by cybercriminals in an online piped gas bill scam. The incident took place earlier in April this year. The elderly victim filed an online complaint, following which the Shirgaon police registered a case on Saturday after conducting a preliminary inquiry.
How the Fraud Happened
According to a police officer from the Shirgaon police station, in April, the complainant received a call from an unknown number. The caller informed him that his piped gas bill for his Mumbai flat for March was pending and urged him to make the payment immediately to avoid disconnection of service.
The caller then shared an APK file with the complainant, claiming it was necessary for making the payment. The elderly man followed the instructions and entered his credit card details to pay the bill.
Transaction Failure Leads to Loss
The transaction initially appeared to fail, but shortly after, the complainant received a message from his bank stating that transactions worth Rs 2 lakh had been made using his card details. The police officer added that they have sought details from the bank regarding the transactions carried out through the victim's account.
Police Investigation Underway
An investigation is currently ongoing. The police are working to trace the fraudsters and recover the stolen amount. Authorities have also issued a warning to the public.
Precautionary Measures
The police have advised people not to share OTPs with anyone and to avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading files from unknown numbers. They emphasized the importance of verifying the authenticity of any payment requests before proceeding.
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