A Pune-based businessman lost Rs 8.86 lakh to cyber fraudsters after he contacted a mobile phone number displayed on a website which claimed to provide air ticket cancellation services.
The businessman, who is a 59-year-old resident of Kothrud, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) on Wednesday at the Kothrud police station.
As per the FIR, about a month ago, the businessman was searching online how to cancel air tickets when he came across the website which claimed to provide the service. He subsequently contacted the mobile phone number on July 14, 2024.
The person who received his call asked for his bank and debit card details. Once the businessman shared his bank and debit card information, he was further asked to download an online application on his mobile phone.
After he downloaded the application, Rs 8.86 lakh was transferred from his bank account to two other bank accounts through net banking on July 15.
The businessman then realised that he had been scammed and contacted the bank authorities and the cyber police station to complain about the unauthorised transactions from his account.
An investigation revealed that when the businessman downloaded the mobile application, the cyber fraudsters got “remote access” of his mobile phone and without his knowledge and consent, added two “beneficiaries”, identified as Ismail and Sohail, to his bank account.
The cyber fraudsters transferred the money to Ismail and Sohail through multiple online transactions.
The police have launched a probe and said said the unidentified online scammers in this case have been booked under Sections 319 (2) (cheating by personation) and 318 (4) (fraudulently deceiving people) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections of the Information Technology Act.
