A Gurugram woman allegedly lost ₹4.50 lakh in a cyber fraud after clicking a suspicious WhatsApp link that investigators believe may have compromised her mobile phone and enabled unauthorized transactions from her bank account. Police have launched an investigation and are examining the financial and digital trail linked to the case.
Suspicious Link Sent From Unknown Number
According to the complaint, the victim, Poonam, a resident of Bans Kusla village, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number on June 10. The message contained a suspicious link, which she clicked.
Soon after opening the link, her mobile phone allegedly began behaving abnormally, leading her to suspect that it had been hacked. Alarmed by the unusual activity, she switched off the device.
Loan Amount Drained Through Multiple Transfers
Despite the phone being switched off, fraudsters allegedly gained unauthorized access to her South Indian Bank account. The victim later received SMS alerts showing multiple debit transactions from the account.
According to the complaint, ₹3 lakh was transferred in one transaction, followed by three separate transfers of ₹50,000 each. The total amount lost was ₹4.50 lakh. The victim told police that the money was not her personal savings but loan funds recently credited to her account by a finance company.
Police Examine Bank Records and Digital Trail
After discovering the unauthorized transactions, Poonam and her husband approached the bank branch. The complaint states that bank personnel advised her to format her mobile phone to prevent further unauthorized access. However, formatting the phone reportedly deleted WhatsApp chats, the unknown contact number and other digital evidence.
The victim later reported the incident to the National Cyber Crime Helpline and filed a formal police complaint, submitting her bank statements and transaction details. Investigators have sought transaction records from the bank and are examining the evidence collected so far. Further legal action will depend on the findings of the probe.
