In a disturbing case of sustained cyber fraud, a 77-year-old woman from Hyderabad was allegedly cheated of ₹1.8 crore by cyber criminals who posed as senior officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and prominent businessmen, police officials said on Thursday.
According to the complaint, the fraudsters used forged documents bearing the name of industrialist Mukesh Ambani and the photograph of the Prime Minister to convince the victim that she had won a ₹2 crore online lottery. Over a period of nearly nine months, the accused systematically drained her savings by gaining remote access to her phone and bank accounts.
WhatsApp Calls and ‘Lottery Jackpot’ Claim
The victim, a resident of Barkatpura, approached the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police after discovering that almost her entire life savings had vanished. In her complaint, she stated that the fraud began in February 2025, when she started receiving unsolicited calls on WhatsApp claiming she had won a massive lottery prize.
Initially, she ignored the calls. However, after nearly two weeks, the fraudsters contacted her again, this time with a more elaborate narrative. One caller introduced himself as a “big businessman” and assured her that all formalities had been completed to transfer the prize money.
The accused persuaded the woman to share her Indian Overseas Bank account details, claiming the prize amount would be credited shortly.
Internet Banking Activation and Credential Theft
According to police, when the fraudsters learned that the woman did not have internet banking enabled, they instructed her to visit her bank branch and activate the facility. Soon after, the accused obtained her login credentials, under the pretext of facilitating the transfer.
“After a few days, the caller told me that the entire amount could not be transferred to a single account and asked for additional bank details,” the woman told police.
She was then asked to activate net banking for her accounts with State Bank of India, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, significantly widening the scope of the fraud.
Fake RBI Documents and Remote Phone Access
To reinforce their claims, the fraudsters sent the victim forged documents stating that the RBI had approved a ₹2 crore transfer. The documents carried her name, photograph, and the Prime Minister’s image, lending them a false sense of legitimacy.
Subsequently, the accused impersonated RBI officials, collected copies of the woman’s and her husband’s Aadhaar and PAN cards, and even obtained photographs of her debit cards.
Police said the fraudsters then sent her a malicious link, which allowed them to gain remote access to her mobile phone, enabling them to monitor transactions and bypass security checks.
123 Transactions to Evade Detection
Between March 13 and December 8, the accused siphoned off money from the victim’s four bank accounts through 123 small-value transactions. Investigators believe this was a deliberate tactic to avoid triggering automated fraud detection systems used by banks.
The woman was also persuaded to prematurely close her joint fixed deposit accounts, after being told that RBI rules required her to show matching funds before the prize money could be credited.
Fraud Discovered After Bank Visit
The scam came to light when the woman visited her bank branch and discovered that only ₹6,000 remained in her accounts. By then, all calls from the accused had stopped.
Realising she had been defrauded, she immediately approached the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police, who registered a case under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, and Sections 111(B) (organised crime), 318 (cheating), and 319 (cheating by impersonation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police Warn Against Sophisticated Impersonation Scams
Police officials said the case highlights the increasing sophistication of cyber frauds targeting elderly individuals, using impersonation of government institutions and well-known personalities.
Investigations are underway to trace the money trail and identify the accused, with officials warning citizens to remain cautious of unsolicited calls, lottery claims, and requests for banking credentials.
