An assistant director residing in Andheri fell victim to an online fraud after receiving a fake message regarding the closure of his bank account, followed by a bogus link for updating KYC details. The fraud came to light when the complainant discovered that a sum of ₹3.39 lakh had been siphoned off from his bank account.
The victim, Chetan Desai, who works as an assistant director, lives in the Lokhandwala Complex area of Andheri. He holds an account in a private sector bank and is known to frequently engage in online banking transactions.
On Saturday, April 5, Desai received a message from an unknown number claiming that his bank account had been closed. Concerned, he contacted the sender, who informed him that the closure was due to incomplete KYC (Know Your Customer) details and asked him to urgently update the same. The fraudster then sent Desai a link for the KYC update.
Believing the message to be genuine, Desai opened the link and uploaded sensitive details including his bank account information, PAN card number, and Aadhaar card details. Soon after, he received four separate messages indicating transactions from his bank account. In total, ₹3,39,990 was debited.
Realizing he had been scammed, Desai promptly lodged a complaint with both the Oshiwara Police and his bank. Following preliminary verification, the Oshiwara Police registered a case against the unidentified cyber fraudster under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology (IT) Act.
The case is currently under investigation by the Oshiwara Police in coordination with the Cyber Cell. Officials stated that efforts are underway to trace the bank account into which the defrauded amount was transferred.