Mumbai: Woman lured by Rs 3 lakh loan offer ends up losing Rs 5 lakh in cyber fraud

A 25-year-old resident of Powai, employed at a multinational financial firm, fell victim to a scam, losing a significant amount of Rs 4.83 lakh. The Powai police registered the case on November 13, revealing that the scam artist posed as a Mumbai cyber police personnel, claiming that the victim's Aadhaar Card had been misused to open three unauthorized bank accounts.

The fraud unfolded on October 5 when the victim received a call from an individual posing as an official from a courier company's parcel department. The impersonator cleverly convinced the victim to verify her savings account details online, coercing her to sign into her net banking. Under the pretext of this verification, the scammer directed her to click on the 'instant loan' option and subsequently coerced her into making a money transfer.

"The cyber section of the police station has sought details from the bank to which the money got credited. This time the fraudster has executed a new modus operandi where they had made the victim follow their instruction of clicking on instant loan and opening a beneficiary account to which the money was transferred after warning her of illegal activities carried out using her Aadhaar card to open three bank accounts," officer of Powai police station told TOI.

According to reports, the deceitful calls continued, with the scammer alleging that there was a parcel from Taiwan in the victim's name, under the scrutiny of the Mumbai Cyber Crime police. During a video call, the victim was asked to share her Aadhaar card details, log into her online banking account, and click on the 'instant loan' option, resulting in a credit of Rs 3 lakh. Subsequently, she was directed to create a beneficiary account, leading to a transfer of Rs 3 lakhs along with Rs 1.83 lakh from her savings.

Suspicions arose when the fraudster sought details of her second bank account, prompting the victim to question the necessity. The call was abruptly disconnected by the scammer. Authorities caution that such cases are becoming more prevalent, with fraudsters resorting to threats of implicating victims in money laundering or narcotics cases to extract money.

The Powai police, specifically the cyber section, is actively seeking details from the bank where the money was transferred. This incident serves as a stark reminder for individuals to exercise caution when dealing with unexpected calls or messages that solicit personal and financial information.