An investigation has been launched after a 74-year-old resident of Dehradun fell victim to a suspected SIM-swap fraud, resulting in an unauthorized withdrawal from his bank account.
What initially appeared to be a brief, minor technical disruption with the victim’s mobile phone quickly turned into a significant financial theft. Police officials confirmed that the matter was first reported to the Cyber Crime police station before being officially transferred to the Nehru Colony police station for a detailed investigation.
Brief Network Disruption Precedes Financial Theft
According to the official complaint filed by Achalanand Chandola, a resident of the Race Course area, his mobile device suddenly switched off on its own at approximately 2:00 PM on May 24. After a short period, the phone restarted automatically. Chandola stated that he did not suspect anything unusual about the restart at first. However, a few hours later, he received an alert message informing him that a sum of Rs 98,000 had been withdrawn from his bank account, though another section of the report details the total loss at Rs 94,000.
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Victim Confirms No Sharing of Banking Credentials
Upon receiving the transaction alert, Chandola immediately contacted his banking institution. Bank officials informed him that the funds had been transferred externally through internet banking channels. The elderly man told the police that he had not initiated any online transactions that day, nor had he shared his personal banking details or passwords with anyone. Investigators strongly suspect that fraudsters managed to gain unauthorized access to his mobile number, allowing them to bypass primary digital banking security checks.
Cyber Experts Detail Mechanics of SIM-Swap Exploits
Cyber security experts note that these targeted digital attacks are becoming increasingly common across the region. In a standard SIM-swap scam, criminals successfully obtain operational control over a victim’s mobile number by illegally transferring the network service to a new SIM card or by manipulating telecom protocols to get a duplicate card issued in their name. Once fraudsters control the mobile number, they can directly receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs) and transactional alerts linked to the target’s bank account. Experts warned that a sudden loss of mobile network service or a phone becoming completely inactive is often the very first warning sign of an ongoing SIM-swap attack, during which criminals use internet banking to quickly drain funds before any fraud can be detected.
