A faculty member of an engineering college in Bengaluru was recently duped of Rs 3 lakh by cybercriminals who posed as staff of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and offered a lifetime free (LTF) credit card.
How the fraud unfolded
Raju (name changed), a resident of Malleswaram, works at a private autonomous engineering college in KS Layout. He lodged a police complaint stating that a conman called him on April 26, claiming to be from PNB and offering an LTF credit card. Raju accepted the offer, and the caller sent him a link via text message, asking him to provide details. When Raju clicked the link, it connected him to a video call, where the person asked him to show his PAN card. After seeing the PAN card, they refused to issue a credit card but said they could issue one if he showed his old credit cards.
Details of the theft
Not sensing the trap, Raju revealed details of three credit cards from different banks. The fraudsters then asked him to download a fake 'Punjab National Bank' app sent via WhatsApp. After he installed it, he started receiving OTPs. Suspicious, he disconnected the video call. By then, Rs 1,89,822 had been drawn from his Bank of Baroda credit card. He called the customer helpline but got no response. Subsequently, Rs 33,097 was taken from his RBL Bank credit card, and Rs 99,999 was transferred to his MobiKwik wallet, from which Rs 74,449 was withdrawn in multiple installments. Raju then transferred the remaining Rs 25,550 from MobiKwik to another bank account and blocked all cards.
