FPJ Cyber Secure: Mumbai Cop Falls Prey To Debit Card Renewal Scam, Loses ₹4.49 Lakh

A police official from the Mumbai Police fell victim to cyber fraud when scammers deceived him under the guise of renewing his debit card. The officer, an assistant police sub-inspector stationed at Malabar Hill police station, incurred a loss of Rs. 4.49 lakhs in the fraudulent activity.

According to the victim, he had received a renewed debit card the previous week. On November 11, he received a call from an unfamiliar number claiming to be from his bank. Intriguingly, the caller was aware that the victim had recently received a new debit card and offered assistance in setting it up. To facilitate this, they sent a file named 'Open (bank name)' to the victim's WhatsApp number.

Upon clicking the file, the caller instructed the victim to input various credentials, including login ID, customer ID, date of birth, etc. Subsequently, a video call was initiated during which the caller prompted the victim to provide additional sensitive information, such as PAN card number, debit card number, and expiry date—all of which the victim complied with.

Throughout this process, the 56-year-old victim received numerous text messages on his mobile, which he chose to ignore. It was only after the video call concluded that he discovered three unauthorized transactions from his account: Rs. 1,978,50, Rs. 1,950,00, and Rs. 57,000, totaling Rs. 4,49,850. His account balance was reduced to Rs. 869.

Realizing the deception, the victim promptly filed a complaint online through the Cyber Crime Portal and reported the incident to the local Kalachowky police. A case has been registered against unidentified individuals for the offenses of cheating and cybercrime.