In a recent case of cyber fraud, a senior technical officer at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Pune was duped of Rs 13 lakh by scammers. The victim, a 57-year-old techie, received a fraudulent message about a KYC update for his bank account. As he followed the instructions, he unknowingly allowed cybercriminals to access his bank account and steal the money.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the incident took place in the third week of November. The victim received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number, claiming to be from a public sector bank. The message falsely stated that his KYC details were overdue and warned that his bank account would be frozen unless he updated them immediately. Along with the message, the sender attached a file, which they instructed the victim to download.
Believing the message to be genuine, the victim downloaded the file onto his smartphone. However, the file contained a malware application designed to give the scammers remote access to his device. Soon after downloading, the victim started receiving One-Time Passwords (OTPs) on his phone. Since he was not making any transactions at that time, he ignored the OTPs.
The cybercriminals then used the remote access to his phone to transfer Rs 12.95 lakh from his bank account. The victim only realized something was wrong when he received notifications about unauthorized transactions. Alarmed, he reported the incident to the Pune city cyber police station. Following a preliminary investigation, an FIR was filed at the Yerawada police station.
Police officials have stated that this is not an isolated case. Many cyber frauds involve scammers tricking victims into downloading malicious files or applications that allow unauthorized access to their devices. Once the scammers gain access, they can manipulate banking and payment apps to drain the victim’s accounts.
In light of the increasing number of online fraud cases in India, the police and cyber cell have issued a strong advisory on how to protect yourself from such scams.
Safety Precautions to Avoid Cyber Fraud:
- Never respond to messages or emails from unknown senders claiming to be from banks or service providers.
- Do not click on any attachments or links from unfamiliar sources. Always verify the sender before opening any files.
- Pay close attention to OTPs received on your phone, especially if you are not conducting any transactions.
