FPJ Cyber Secure: Chartered Accountant Duped Of ₹9.16 Lakh In Reward Points Scam

A 40-year-old woman, a chartered accountant by profession, was defrauded of Rs 9.16 lakh by cyber fraudsters. The fraudsters deceived the woman by sending messages and enticing her to redeem supposed reward points.

How the fraud unfolded

According to information received from Byculla Police, Sarika Sonigara received a message on Wednesday evening stating, "Dear consumer, AXIS BNK reward points Rs.9850 were successfully earned, but the points expired today."

The message also included a link, and Sonigara clicked on it, subsequently being prompted to fill in details such as customer ID and password, which she provided. After submitting the details, Sonigara received an OTP, which she entered into the link. However, she received a message stating that the link was invalid. Upon attempting again, she received another OTP, which was again declared invalid.

Sonigara reports to police after suspicion arise

Suspicions arose when the OTP was declared invalid twice. Upon checking her bank balance, Sonigara discovered two transactions. The cyber fraudsters had withdrawn a total of Rs 9.16 lakh from Sonigara's bank account.

Sonigara reported the incident to Byculla Police, leading to the registration of an FIR against an unknown person, and an investigation has been initiated.ice have registered an FIR against an unknown person and started investigation.