Well-read, financially sound are favourite targets in banking frauds, bogus schemes

In 2016, the police registered about 1,400 cyber crime cases, half of which pertained to online banking fraud and cheating through credit/debit cards. An analysis of the cases shows that a majority of the victims are educated, employed, and financially sound, the police said.

In 2016, the police registered about 1,400 cyber crime cases, half of which pertained to online banking fraud and cheating through credit/debit cards. An analysis of the cases shows that a majority of the victims are educated, employed, and financially sound, the police said.

The police said that the were not lured into lottery schemes but were fooled into parting with their money. (Representative photo)

The police said that the were not lured into lottery schemes but were fooled into parting with their money.

In 2015, half of the total cyber crime cases concerned debit/credit card frauds. With online banking gaining popularity, police officials said that they expect an increase in cyber crime cases.

“Educated and those working white collar jobs are largely falling prey to online banking frauds. People usually share certain account details that help the culprits in duping them. Consumers have to remain aware of such tactics,” inspector Anand Kumar, head of cyber crime cell, said.

A senior executive secretary of human resources in Power Grid Corporation, CP Mittal, received a call at noon on August 18, 2016, from a lady who identified herself as a bank representative.

After receiving the details, the caller asked him for his consent for depositing money to his account, Mittal said.

“I could not understand why that money was due to me. The caller shared my bank account details and asked for my consent for depositing ₹2,500 in my account to which I agreed,” said Mittal.

The next day, Mittal said he received an e-mail informing him that a transaction of ₹5,000 was made from his credit card for payment of mobile bills of some Mumbai-based numbers.

Mittal said that the e-mail stunned him and he approached the bank who asked him to lodge a police case.

“The bank made me pay ₹5,000 and offered to settle amount once the case is settled. That has not happened till date,” Mittal said.

The police at Sector 29 police station converted Mittal’s complaint of August into FIR only on Sunday after receiving proof from the cyber crime cell. The FIR was filed under section 420 (fraud) of the IPC and the Information Technology Act.

In a similar manner, Amritpal Singh, a businessman of DLF Phase-4, was duped of money from his account on June 10. Baljit Singh, a retired army man in DLF Phase-1 was duped of ₹75,000 on December 5 after sharing account and credit card details with a caller who identified him as a bank official.