Vashi man duped of ₹8.21L while trying to verify voter ID

According to the complaint registered at APMC police station, the incident took place on October 13, when the complainant was at his office in Sector 19C, Vashi

NAVI MUMBAI: A 53-year-old interior designer from Vashi lost ₹8.21 lakh from his company’s current account after a cyber fraudster allegedly posing as an official from the “Indian Election Office” tricked him into completing a fake voter ID verification process online for a fee of ₹5.

Vashi man duped of ₹8.21L while trying to verify voter ID

According to the complaint registered at APMC police station, the incident took place on October 13, when the complainant was at his office in Sector 19C, Vashi. At around 3pm, he received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number.

The caller, who identified himself as Chandrashekhar, claimed there was a discrepancy in his father’s name on his voter ID and Aadhar cards and said verification was required to resolve it.

The caller sent him a link that purported to be a voter verification portal and asked him to fill out a form, submit it and share a screenshot. He repeatedly called to check whether the complainant had completed the process.

Towards the end, the website prompted the complainant to pay ₹5. He tried making the payment using his debit card, but the transaction failed. On the caller’s instructions, he tried again using his credit card, but that transaction also did not go through.

When the complainant reported the failed payments, the caller asked him to dial another number, claiming it would help complete the transaction. The complainant followed the instructions but later realised that the caller had gained access to his mobile phone.

At around 4.15pm, he received a message alerting him to a transaction of ₹8,21,884.34 from his company’s ICICI Bank current account. APMC police have registered a complaint against an unidentified accused.