Mumbai News: Man Successfully Retrieves ₹93,000 As Golden Hour Action Prevents Cyber Fraud

Mumbai: An alert Matunga-based man recovered Rs93,757 which he had lost in a cyber fraud. While looking for a hotel online, he came across a website of a Gujarat-based hotel and called the contact number displayed. They gave information on the tariff plan and facilities provided and sent him their brochure and rate chart, asking him to pay in advance.

The complainant told the cops that the hotel officials asked him to insert his details in a link that was sent via WhatsApp. They asked him to pay Rs4,000. After he clicked on the link, Rs19,884 got deducted from his account, followed by Rs5. The hotel called it a “mistake” and proceeded to ask for more money, assuring they would return it together. He, however, lost Rs49,984 and another Rs19,884.

Alert Man Rushes To Matunga Police Station

The complainant got suspicious and without delay approached the Matunga police station, where he met police inspector Keshav Wagh, who asked the man to engage the fraudsters even as he lodged a formal complaint with the cyber crime portal. “Our target was to not lose any money from the account. He had already lost Rs93,757, and they were asking him to share the OTP. We asked him to keep them engaged but not share the password,” said Wagh.

The police cops contacted the complainant’s bank and requested an immediate statement to get details of the account where the money was transferred. “As we got the details, we requested the bank to freeze all transactions. The deducted amount was also frozen, meaning it could not be withdrawn or transferred (to another account) by the other party. All this happened within 45 minutes,” the officer said. The police said that the complainant acted in the “golden hour”, the first two hours after the cyber fraud. He, however, refused to register an official complaint as he got all his money back.