ATM card swap fraud: govt employee duped of Rs 40,000

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

ATM card-swapping gangs are back in action, targeting unsuspecting citizens under the guise of help. On August 19, a government employee lost Rs 40,000 after being tricked at an SBI ATM in Shahaganj.

Syed Attaulla (54, Katkat Gate), posted at the Mudkhed Land Records office and currently on medical leave, had visited the ATM to change his PIN. While doing so, an unidentified man offered assistance, took his card, pretended to help, and slipped a fake card back into his hand before walking away. Minutes later, while Salim was still at the nearby bank trying to lodge a complaint after his card failed, the fraudster had already withdrawn ₹40,000 in four transactions. Bank officials confirmed the card left with Salim was issued in another person’s name. City Chowk police have registered a case, and PSI Santosh Kharat is probing the matter.

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Frauds on the rise again

This is not the first such incident. In recent years, several citizens especially senior citizens have been duped at ATMs across the city, with losses running into lakhs. Though CIDCO police earlier nabbed a gang from another state, the stolen money was never recovered. After a brief lull, such gangs seem to be active again, putting city residents at risk.