New Delhi — Delhi Police have arrested three men accused of posing as bank employees to defraud customers by claiming their credit card protection plans had expired. The suspects, identified as Mohammad Shakir, Adarsh Kumar Jha, and Mukesh, allegedly contacted victims under the pretence of renewing security coverage, extracting sensitive details and siphoning money from their accounts.
Police said the group operated with a polished script that mimicked the tone and procedures of real bank staff. During the arrests, officers recovered three mobile phones and two SIM cards believed to have been used in the fraud.
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The case came to light after a Rohini resident reported losing ₹23,000 (about $2,700) following a phone call from one of the suspects. The victim was persuaded to download a mobile application and provide banking information, after which unauthorized transactions were carried out. Days later, an additional ₹4,000 was withdrawn from the account.
A team led by Inspector Praveen Chauhan tracked the suspects to Harinagar in Delhi and subsequently arrested Mukesh in Gurugram, Haryana.
A Broader Pattern
Police officials said such scams are part of a wider pattern in which fraudsters exploit public trust in financial institutions. By leveraging routine banking services, such as credit card renewals, criminals create a sense of urgency that pushes victims into disclosing confidential details.
Professor Triveni Singh, a former IPS officer and noted cybercrime expert, emphasized that social engineering has become the cornerstone of digital fraud. “These criminals are not only stealing data, they are weaponizing psychology. The urgency they create around financial services manipulates victims into giving up sensitive information voluntarily,” he said.
Singh noted that India’s rapid adoption of digital banking, while transformative, has also widened the threat landscape. “First-time digital users are especially vulnerable. Without parallel efforts in awareness and cyber hygiene, scams like these will continue to escalate,” he warned.