Mumbai: In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a 70-year-old Mulund resident, Kannan Balasubrahmanyam, was allegedly cheated of Rs 6.13 lakh after cybercriminals impersonated an executive from HDFC Bank’s credit-card department.
The fraudsters lured him with the promise of upgrading his existing credit card to a Gold Card, police said. A case has been registered at the Navghar police station against the caller identifying himself as “Kuldeep Singh” and the bank account holders who received the siphoned funds.
Caller Posed as HDFC Executive Offering Gold Card Upgrade
According to the FIR, Balasubrahmanyam, a retired private-sector employee, lives with his wife Meenakshi a retired BMC schoolteacher at Gavanpada, Mulund (East). He holds a savings account with HDFC Bank and regularly uses the bank’s credit card.
Personal Details Taken Under Pretext of Card Upgrade
On November 4, around 3.30 pm, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as Kuldeep Singh from HDFC’s credit-card department and claimed that Balasubrahmanyam’s existing credit card needed to be updated. He further assured the victim that he would soon receive a new HDFC Gold Card.
The alleged executive insisted on confirming the residential address, which the senior citizen reluctantly provided after initial hesitation. Two days later, on November 6, while on his morning walk, Balasubrahmanyam noticed that his WhatsApp, Facebook and Email accounts were compromised. Soon after, he began receiving OTPs for credit-card transactions he had not initiated.
Cybercriminals Make 11 Fraudulent Transactions
Panicked, he immediately informed his younger son, Venkatesh, who advised him to rush to HDFC Bank and block the card, and to replace his Vodafone SIM card. By the time the card was blocked at the HDFC Mulund (East) branch’s credit-card section, cybercriminals had already carried out 11 online transactions between November 4 and 6, fraudulently transferring Rs 6,13,053 to other accounts.
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Victim Approaches Police and Cybercrime Helpline
Realising he had been duped, Balasubrahmanyam reported the incident to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (1930) and later lodged a formal complaint at the Navghar police station. Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, and the Information Technology (IT) Act. The investigation is underway.
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