A sitting judge of the Bombay High Court has filed a police complaint after being allegedly duped of more than ₹6 lakh in an online credit card reward points scam in Mumbai. The case has been registered by the Mumbai Police at the Cuffe Parade police station, with investigators probing the cyber fraud.
The incident highlights the growing threat of sophisticated online scams that target even highly aware individuals by impersonating legitimate customer-care services.
Fraud Occurred While Attempting To Redeem Credit Card Reward Points
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the judge was attempting to redeem reward points linked to an HDFC Bank credit card on February 28 when the fraud took place.
While at home, the judge searched online for the bank’s customer care number and called a helpline that appeared in the search results, believing it to be genuine. The person answering the call allegedly posed as a representative of the bank’s credit card department and offered assistance in redeeming the reward points.
During the conversation, the caller sent a link via WhatsApp containing an application file, instructing the judge to download and install it to process the reward redemption.
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Malicious App Used To Extract Card Details
Investigators said the application file could not initially be opened on the judge’s iPhone. The judge then used another smartphone available at home to install the file and accessed a webpage that appeared after installation.
The caller allegedly instructed the judge to enter the credit card details on the webpage, claiming it was necessary to complete the reward points transaction.
Soon after submitting the information, the judge received email alerts showing several unauthorised transactions on the credit card. According to the complaint, four high-value transactions totalling ₹6,02,566 were carried out, confirming the fraud.
“Immediately after submitting the details, I received mails on my registered email ID informing me of several transactions carried out on my credit card. This is when I realised I have been duped,” the judge stated in the complaint.
Card Blocked Immediately; Cybercrime Complaint Filed
Upon realising the fraud, the judge immediately contacted the official bank helpline to block the credit card and prevent further misuse. The judge also reported the incident through the national cybercrime helpline and the online complaint portal before approaching the local police station.
Following the complaint, police registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 66, 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2008, along with relevant provisions of the **Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with cheating and impersonation.
Authorities are now attempting to trace the perpetrators and track the money trail linked to the fraudulent transactions.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
