Mumbai: Senior citizen from Powai duped of Rs 2.75 lakh to KYC update fraud

A 67-year-old Powai-based businessman was duped to the tune of ₹2.75 lakh by an unidentified accused who posed as a Telecom company representative and asked the senior to download a screen sharing app, following which the money was siphoned in a series of transactions. While no arrests have been made yet, Powai Police are probing the matter.

According to police sources, the incident occurred on January 4, when the senior citizen, who had an account in a private bank, had received a call from a man, who identified himself as an agent of a renowned telecom company. The man told the sexagenarian that if the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) of his SIM card is not updated at the earliest, the services of his mobile number will be discontinued.

Fearing the interrupted service, the senior citizen asked for a solution and was asked by the unidentified caller to download an application, Any Desk, which is a screen sharing application, to complete the formalities, of which he had sent a link. The complainant was asked to follow the link and type in his mobile number, bank details and password, following which he received a One Time Password (OTP), to complete the recharge.

The complainant obliged, however, only to realise that he had lost ₹2,74,900 from his account in a series of transactions. He realised that he had been duped and immediately alerted the bank to block the card. The 67-year-old man then approached the Powai Police and lodged a complaint, acting on which a case was registered against the unidentified accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act.