A Lucknow resident lost ₹36.39 lakh from three bank accounts after a caller allegedly posed as a bank employee.
How did the alleged fraud begin?
The victim, Umesh Chandra Dubey, a resident of Ashiyana, received a WhatsApp call at around 1:18 pm on September 30 from a person using the name Sandeep Verma.
The caller allegedly introduced himself as an ICICI Bank employee and gained Dubey’s confidence by providing correct information about his bank account and debit card. He then spoke about getting a pension card issued for Dubey.
As part of the supposed process, the caller asked him to send a photograph of the printed number on his debit card. After receiving the photograph, the caller continued discussing the procedure for completing the pension card process.
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How was ₹36.39 lakh withdrawn?
The conversation continued through several calls, with the connection being disconnected multiple times. The final call came at around 3:50 pm.
During this period, Dubey’s mobile phone was allegedly hacked and money was withdrawn from his bank accounts. According to the complaint, ₹23,43,421 was taken from one account and ₹3,96,015 from another.
A further ₹9 lakh overdraft was allegedly obtained from a third account. The overdraft facility had been secured against a fixed deposit after a new account was opened. The total amount allegedly taken from the three accounts was ₹36,39,436.
A case has been registered with the cybercrime police station.
What warning has police issued?
ADCP Crime Kiran Yadav appealed to people to remain cautious about calls from cyber fraudsters. She said fraudsters may pose as bank employees or representatives of other departments and gain victims’ trust by referring to pensions, KYC or banking facilities.
People should not share debit card details, OTPs, PINs, card photographs or other confidential information on such calls. Suspicious requests should instead be verified through the official number of the bank or department concerned.
How are fraudsters gaining victims’ trust?
Police cautioned that cybercriminals use different identities and methods to draw people into their schemes. They may impersonate bank employees, police personnel, CBI officials or other government officers to intimidate or persuade their targets.
In this case, the caller allegedly used accurate banking and debit card information to establish credibility before raising the subject of a pension card.
The incident underlines the risk of relying solely on information quoted by an unknown caller as proof of identity. Even when a caller appears to know existing account details, requests for card information or other sensitive credentials should be independently verified through official banking channels.
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