E-Paper
Now, two Panchkula teachers duped by ‘customer care’ officials
Three separate cases under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code were registered at the cybercrime police station in Panchkula
In yet another case of residents falling prey to swindlers after looking up customer care numbers online, two city-based teachers lost ₹7 lakh in separate cases.
In her complaint, Reena Devi of Pinjore, who works as a government school teacher, told police that she looked up SBI’s customer care number online and asked for her account’s statement from June till December. Looking to finance a car, she was told by the person answering her call to take a loan from SBI.
The person called her using a different number on WhatsApp and asked her to forward a message sent by him to another number. The complainant, however, did not receive any loan-related details.
Soon, she received a message of ₹4.47 lakh being debited from her account. Upon checking with her bank, the complainant was told she had taken a loan of ₹75,000 online.
Devraj of Chandimandir, a drawing teacher, meanwhile, told police that he had looked
up the customer care number for a digital wallet to report a failed payment. He reported the issue on the number, after which he received a call and was told to download AnyDesk on his phone. He was asked to fill in a few details, following which ₹2.5 lakh was debited from his account in different instalments.
Man duped while paying for booking
In another case reported from the city, Vikas, a resident of Sector 27, lost ₹1.29 lakh to fraudsters while paying for an advance booking.
In his complaint, he told police he received a call from his Dehradun-based sister on October 15, 2022, who asked him to book a room at a hotel in Haridwar. She shared a contact number of the hotel that she had found online. After contacting the number, the complainant was asked to fill in the details of his credit card in a form provided by the responder. Soon, ₹1.29 lakh was withdrawn from his account.
Three separate cases under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code were registered at the cybercrime police station in Panchkula.
