Mira Bhayandar: Electricity bill fraud cases return as elderly man duped of ₹2.45 lakh

After a brief lull, cyber crooks seem to have revived the modus of duping people with threats of power disconnection.

An elderly man from Bhayandar became the latest victim after he lost ₹2.45 lakh to the infamous electricity bill fraud.

In his complaint to the police, the senior citizen stated that he received a call from a person who introduced himself as an official of the power supply company.

How the fraudster tricked the victim

Claiming that an amount of ₹11 had remained pending which would lead to disconnection of electricity to his flat, he offered to help in making the payment and asked the complainant to click a link to clear the dues from his bank account.

The complainant clicked on the link sent by the cyber-criminal, following which ₹2.45 lakh was deducted from his bank account through multiple withdrawals. The fraudster had apparently made him install a remote access application to take control over his mobile phone and bank accounts.

An offence under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act of 2000 has been registered against the yet-to-be identified caller at the Navghar police station in Bhayandar.

The Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have been urging people to be vigilant and check with power companies before with such callers or responding to unverified messages and dubious links.