Mumbai woman loses Rs 6 lakh to cyber fraud while trying to save Rs 5,000 – here’s how to avoid such scams

In today’s fast-paced digital world, a small mistake can have devastating consequences for a 31-year-old Woman from Mumbai recently discovered. What started as a simple attempt to withdraw Rs 5,000 from an ATM ended with her losing Rs 6 lakh to cyber fraudsters.

The scam

On September 26, the woman, a resident of Ghatkopar West, tried to withdraw Rs 5,000 from an ATM using the cardless feature on her bank’s mobile app. Instead of receiving the money, she received a message saying that the amount had been mistakenly transferred to the “Chief Minister”. Disaster Relief Fund.” Thinking that this was a technical issue, she decided to seek help from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

The woman turned to Google for help and searched for the NPCI helpline number. She came across the toll-free number “1800-41-2222-32,” which she believed was legitimate. She dialed the number and unknowingly fell into a trap set by cyber fraudsters. A man named Suresh Sharma picked up the call and claimed to be an NPCI official. He assured her that another person would come to her for further help.

Get remote access

Soon after, she received a call from Amit Yadav who convinced her to download one Remote access appsupposedly to solve the problem. The woman trusted Yadav and shared her banking details, including passwords and details of her PAN UPI Accounts. Moments later, Rs 93,062 was withdrawn from her account. The money was transferred to the account of a person named Virendra Raikwar, leaving her stunned and confused.

Yadav then told the woman that a new account had been created for her and that her money would be refunded within 24 hours. When the money didn’t arrive, she contacted the fake hotline again hoping for a solution. This time she was linked to another scammer named Rakesh Kumar Dosara who repeated the process of extracting her details and draining her account. Within a few days, she lost a total of Rs 6 lakh between September 16 and 20.

It was only after the woman lost a significant amount of money that she realized she had been scammed. She approached Ghatkopar police station to lodge a complaint and file a case Online fraud was registered. The investigation is ongoing, but recovering the stolen funds could be difficult.

Lessons to learn

This unfortunate incident highlights the increasing sophistication of cyber scams and the risks that come with relying on search engines for critical information. Here are some key lessons from this case:

• Be careful when searching online. Scammers often create fake websites and hotline numbers that appear legitimate. Always check contact details on official bank or government websites.
• Never give out confidential information over the phone. No legitimate organization will ask for passwords, PINs, or access to your phone screen.
• Avoid downloading unknown apps. Be careful if someone asks you to download “tech help” apps, especially if they ask for remote access to your device.
• Report suspicious activity immediately. If you notice any unauthorized transactions, contact your bank immediately to try to block or reverse them.

(With contributions from agencies)