E-Paper
Ludhiana: Posing as banker, cyberfraudster dupes city doctor of ₹11 lakh, probe on
Victim, who hails from Odisha and currently resides in Bhamian Kalan, works at a private hospital in Ludhiana; someone posing as a bank official shared a WhatsApp link and made him enter his bank card details
A city-based doctor was duped of ₹11.42 lakh after a cybercriminal, posing as a bank official, tricked him into sharing credit card details through a WhatsApp link. The fraudster not only siphoned off the money but also hacked the victim’s phone for nearly five days.
The victim, Dr Manoj Samal, originally from Odisha and currently residing in Bhamian Kalan, works at a private hospital in Ludhiana. In his complaint, he said that on August 15 he received a call from a man posing as a representative of a private bank. To gain credibility, the caller even spoke to Dr Samal’s head of department, claiming his credit card limit was being enhanced but there was an issue with his CIBIL score.
The fraudster then shared a WhatsApp link and persuaded Dr Samal to enter his card details. Soon after, his phone was hacked and calls diverted. Days later, when he contacted customer care, he discovered that ₹11.42 lakh had been withdrawn from his two bank accounts.
“The fraudsters were so cunning that they even called me back, pretending to be from customer care, and assured me that my complaint had already been forwarded to the cybercrime,” Dr Samal said.
The cybercrime police station has registered a case against unidentified persons. Investigating officer ASI Bhupinder Singh said the accused’s bank accounts have been frozen and nearly ₹2 lakh recovered so far. “Efforts are on to recover the remaining amount and nab the culprits,” he added.
Police officials have once again appealed to the public not to share personal banking details or click on suspicious links received through phone calls or messaging apps.
