In Mumbai, a 31-year-old software developer fell victim to a cyber fraud scheme, losing Rs 5.06 lakh to an impostor posing as a customer care executive from an e-wallet company. The incident led to the filing of an FIR at the Borivali police station on April 16.
The victim reported that while attempting to pay his March electricity bill through an e-wallet, he encountered a discrepancy in the displayed amount. To seek resolution, he searched for a helpline number for the e-wallet company on Google. Subsequently, he dialed a number and conversed with an individual claiming to be a customer care executive from the company’s Noida office. This imposter instructed the victim to download the Anydesk application and input his bank details on the phone to rectify the issue.
Despite the Anydesk application providing external access to mobile activities, the victim, trusting the fraudster due to the purported connection with the e-wallet company’s Noida office, complied. The extent of the fraud became evident only when the victim received a call from SBI, notifying him of numerous unauthorized transactions. By that point, Rs 5.06 lakh had been siphoned off by the cybercriminals.
The police highlighted the perpetrator’s deceptive tactic of using fake phone numbers to appear as legitimate customer care lines for banks, e-wallets, online shopping portals, and other entities. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of verifying the authenticity of helpline numbers and exercising caution in sharing sensitive information.