Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Due to the alertness of PNB employees, a senior citizen was saved from losing ₹1.14 crore to cyber fraudsters. Bank officials noticed suspicious activity and acted quickly, preventing the fraud in time.
Impressed by their prompt action, Zonal Manager Mrityunjay honoured the concerned bank employees. He said this success proves the effectiveness of PNB’s training and vigilance drive, which focuses on identifying fraud patterns and protecting customers.
Assistant General Manager Manish Jain and Marketing Head Awadhesh Verma were also present during the felicitation event. The Zonal Manager also thanked the in-charge of Vikasnagar Police Station for their cooperation and timely support.
The woman named Usha Shukla, was targeted by cyber criminals who claimed that her family members had been “digitally arrested” for money laundering. Posing as officers from an investigating agency, the fraudsters frightened her with threats of arrest and harm to her family. They told her to transfer all the money from her bank accounts for “verification,” promising to return it later.
Shaken and terrified, the elderly woman went to the PNB Mama Chauraha branch in Vikas Nagar with 12 fixed deposits worth ₹1.14 crore. She began the process of breaking the FDs and transferring the money to an account given by the callers.
Seeing the large amount, bank staff grew cautious and informed the branch manager, Savarn Rathore. The manager noticed the woman was extremely nervous and avoided questions. When she finally shared an account number, his doubts grew stronger. To confirm his suspicion, the manager deliberately gave her a wrong account number and asked her to recheck it with the person on the phone.
The manager deliberately provided a false account number and told her to obtain the correct account number from the person to whom the money was to be sent. With that, the woman left the cabin.
As the woman stepped out to make a call, bank staff quietly followed her and saw her speaking to someone in fear. The manager had sent a peon after the woman to see who she was talking to on the phone. The woman went to the side and was talking quietly to someone. That’s when the full picture became clear. The woman later revealed that fraudsters had threatened her with “digital arrest” and even issued death threats to her family.
The bank officials immediately counseled her and informed the police. To prevent any loss, they took her to other banks, including ICICI Bank and Central Bank, and got her accounts frozen. It was also found that the fraudsters had hacked her mobile phone.
