A 62-year-old housewife from Pimpri, Pune, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, losing a staggering Rs 4.5 lakh to a scammer impersonating a bank official. The incident, which highlights the growing menace of online financial crimes, was reported to the Sant Tukaramnagar police.
The Elaborate Setup: A Cheque from Nagpur
The chain of events began on December 21, when the woman received a call from her son-in-law residing in Nagpur. He informed her that he was sending a cheque worth Rs 5 lakh via a courier service and requested her assistance to deposit it into her bank account. The woman, whose bank account is with a branch in Shillong, Meghalaya, received the cheque on December 24.
The Trap: Fake Bank Manager on the Line
To facilitate the deposit, the woman searched for her bank's customer care number online. She dialled the number she found, and the person who answered promised that a customer care official would guide her through the process online. Shortly after, she received a call from an unknown mobile number.
The caller confidently claimed to be the bank manager and assured her of seamless assistance for depositing the cheque. Trusting his authority, the woman shared her sensitive bank account and debit card details with him, unknowingly handing the keys to her finances to a criminal.
The Aftermath and Police Action
The fraud came to light later the same evening when the woman received an alarming SMS alert from her bank. The notification stated that a sum of Rs 4.5 lakh had been transferred out of her account. Sensing foul play, she immediately visited her bank's branch in Pimpri to get her passbook printed.
The transaction record confirmed her worst fears: the money had been transferred to an unknown bank account. After lodging an online complaint with the bank, the victim formally approached the Sant Tukaramnagar police on December 29 to file a case. Police officials confirmed they have initiated an investigation and have sought crucial transaction details from the woman's bank to trace the cybercrook.
This case serves as a stark reminder for citizens to exercise extreme caution when sharing financial information over the phone. Always verify the authenticity of callers claiming to be bank officials by contacting the bank directly through the number printed on your debit card or passbook, not through a web search.
