Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A TCS engineer was duped of Rs 4.73 lakh by online scammers in the MIG area, police said on Thursday. The case has been registered following receipt of an e-zero FIR from the State Cyber cell under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the police, the complainant, Abhas, a resident of MIG Colony, stated that he is an IT engineer at TCS in the city. He had received a phone call from an unknown number on April 7. The caller claimed to be an officer from a private bank and offered to help him get a credit card. When the caller asked for an OTP, Abhas refused and disconnected the call.
Shortly after, the caller sent a message with a fake ID card. Soon, Abhas received a text message stating that Rs99,999 had been debited from his credit card. Immediately afterwards, another person called from a different number, posing as a bank officer. He asked Abhas whether he had made the transaction and suggested blocking the card if it was unauthorised.
The caller then convinced Abhas to join both numbers on a conference call. During the call, the fake officer asked the so-called representative to reverse the charges. The fraudsters then told Abhas that an OTP was required to process the reversal. Trusting them, he shared the OTP.
Within minutes, multiple transactions were made on his credit card. The fraudsters kept him engaged on the call for 15 to 20 minutes and repeatedly asked for OTPs. As a result, five transactions were made totalling Rs4.73 lakh.
When Abhas questioned the transactions, the caller assured him that the amount would be reversed within 24 hours. However, when the transactions were not reversed the next day, he tried contacting the numbers again, but they were switched off or unanswered. He reported the matter to the cyber helpline 1930 on April 9. Based on his complaint and statements, the police have registered a case and started an investigation into the fraud.
