Senior citizen falls prey to online fraud in Mumbai, loses Rs 4 lakh

MUMBAI: A 72-year-old man was allegedly duped of Rs 4 lakh by an unidentified person, who posed as an executive of a mobile network service provider in Mahim area of central Mumbai, police said on Thursday.

The incident came to light when the senior citizen lodged a complaint of cheating on Wednesday, alleging that he had lost savings to the tune of Rs 4 lakh, an official said.

According to the complaint, the victim had received a message on his mobile phone on July 25 to update his Know you Customer (KYC) details or face disconnection of network, following which he called on the number mentioned in the message, the official said.

During the call, a person posing as an executive of the mobile service provider company asked the complainant to download an application, which enabled the fraudster to see the screen of the victim's mobile phone, he said.

The unidentified accused then obtained vital information such as ATM card numbers and passwords, and asked the victim to transfer a fee of Rs 10 as a part of the procedure, the official said, adding that the banking details were then used to transfer Rs 4 lakh.

The victim got to know about the fraud when he received a call from his bank the next day, the official said.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered an FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and IT Act and investigations are underway, he added.