Mumbai: Cybercriminal clones card, withdraws Rs1.45 lakh

The crime came to light last month when an employee of a private company from Vile Parle lost Rs1.45 lakh to card cloning.

Mumbai

The victim had switched off his phone and when he switched it on in the morning, he found three messages from his bank informing him of the transactions. (Ht)

The police are on the lookout for a cybercriminal, who has been using a skimming device to clone credit and debit cards and withdraw money.

The crime came to light last month when an employee of a private company from Vile Parle lost Rs1.45 lakh to card cloning.

According to a police officer, the man has been using the card for over a year now. He uses his cards at malls and hotels to pay bills. The police suspect that he gave the card to a waiter at a hotel or a store along with the pin code.

“The man lost Rs1.45 lakh. The cybercriminal used the debit card to withdraw money even as the victim had his card with him. The cybercriminal has cloned the debit card to make the transactions,” said a police officer.

The victim had switched off his phone and when he switched it on in the morning, he found three messages from his bank informing him of the transactions.

The Mumbai police have been spreading awareness on safety measures to curb credit and debit card fraud.

The cybercriminal withdrew money in Mumbai at a jewellery shop and from a couple of ATMs near the shop using the cloned card. An FIR was registered under IPC and IT Act sections for cheating and identity theft.