After targeting victims on the pretext of unpaid electricity bills, the scammers have now begun duping people with the gas connection pending bill ruse. A 73-year-old engineering consultant from Grant Road fell prey to this fraud after he received a message on May 7 informing him that his connection would be disconnected if he failed to pay the bill. He was then induced to download a malicious link and Rs45,000 was subsequently siphoned from his bank account.
The message from an unknown sender also contained a mobile number for further inquiries. The man immediately called and spoke to a person who identified himself as an employee of the gas company, asking to pay the outstanding bill.
Accused Lures Victim With Bill Details Update, Resulting In Financial Fraud
On the pretext of updating the bill details, the accused shared a link and asked the man to download a file. The complainant was then asked to fill and submit a form given in the link and pay Rs5. When the man followed the instructions and completed the transaction, he learnt that Rs 45,000 had been withdrawn from his account.
Having realised that he had been duped, he approached the police and got an offence registered in the matter the same day. A case for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property has been filed under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
