Following a complaint, the police managed to freeze Rs 6 lakh transferred to the accounts held by the suspects and are trying to recover the remaining amount too.
A 34-year-old software professional and her parents were allegedly cheated of Rs 12.6 lakh by cyber fraudsters on the pretext of updating KYC (Know Your Customer) details of their account in a public sector bank.
Following a complaint, the police have managed to freeze Rs 6 lakh transferred to the accounts held by the suspects and are trying to recover the remaining amount too.
A First Information Report in the case has been filed at Wakad police station in Pimpri Chinchwad jurisdiction by the software engineer who works at the Hinjewadi office of a multinational IT solutions major. The complainant and her parents hold a joint account in a public sector bank.
In the last week of July, she received a message on her phone asking her to update the KYC details for the joint account she holds along with her parents. She subsequently forwarded that message to her mother to do the needful.
Her mother called the number provided in the message and it was answered by someone posing as a bank officer. Over the next two days, the alleged cybercriminals gained access to four bank accounts the complainant and her parents held by asking for One Time Passwords, and they ended up losing Rs 12.6 lakh. The complainant immediately contacted the Pimpri Chinchwad police after realising a large sum was missing from their accounts.
Assistant inspector SS Jadhav said, “Of the Rs 12.6 lakh lost from four accounts, we have managed to freeze around Rs 6 lakh by communicating with the bank. Efforts are being made to recover the remaining amount too. We have launched a probe into the phone number and bank accounts used by the suspects.”
Recently the Pune City police have started two dedicated helpline numbers for the victims of financial cyber frauds to approach the police during ‘Golden Hours’ after the crime has taken place. Following the call to the helpline, authorities can initiate immediate measures to freeze the fraudulent accounts and try to ensure that the money is not lost.
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