In a case of online fraud, residents of a village in Holenarasipur taluk lost money on Friday after they were duped by a person who used the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
By spending ₹2,000 to win the confidence of the villagers, the person made away with more than ₹1 lakh.
A resident of Gavi Somanahalli in the taluk received a call informing him about the Modi-led Union government’s scheme to offer ₹2,000 to farmers every month, a scheme which does not exist.
The caller also asked for details of the bank account to transfer the money directly. The villager, who initially doubted the offer, refused to share the details.
However, he reportedly decided to give it a try as he had no money in his account to lose. He shared the details and within a few minutes, he received a message informing him that ₹2,000 was credited to his account.
The unknown person called the villager again and informed him that the amount had been transferred.
The caller also asked the villager to inform other residents of the village and get the benefit. As per the instructions, he shared the information about the money with his relatives and neighbours in the village.
Around 12 residents voluntarily called up the number and shared their account and debit card details.
The person then began the transactions and called up the villagers individually to take the one-time passwords, and withdrew the money.
The villagers realised they were duped when none of them received money and they received messages about money being withdrawn from their accounts.
They all rushed to their banks and blocked their debit cards temporarily. However, they have not yet filed a complaint with the police.