Mumbai: An 87-year-old retired civic doctor from Mumbai lost over ₹16 lakh after inadvertently contacting a scammer while searching online for pest control services offered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The case has been registered at the West Cyber Police Station. The senior citizen, who retired from BMC in 1997, resides in a residential society near Linking Road in Khar (West). On December 20, 2024, she was looking online for pest control services for her society—specifically within the H West ward jurisdiction. During the search, she came across a contact number, which she believed was associated with the civic body.
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Upon calling the number, a woman responded and introduced herself as a BMC representative. She told the retired doctor that she would need to pay a ₹50 registration fee to avail of the service and that no further charges would be applicable. Despite informing the caller that her mobile banking services were inactive, the woman insisted that the payment was necessary to proceed. The fraudster then sent a malicious link to the victim’s phone and instructed her to fill out a form. Once the doctor clicked the link and entered her details, her phone was compromised. Within minutes, while still on the call, she received a text message alerting her to a ₹1.85 lakh debit from her Kotak Mahindra Bank account. When she questioned the woman, the caller assured her that ₹1 lakh would be refunded, prompting the victim to end the call.
Though initial visits to her banks didn’t reveal any deductions, the reality unfolded over time. By January 2025, the victim visited Punjab National Bank to update her passbook and was shocked to discover over 40 unauthorized transactions made between December 20 and January 22, totaling ₹13.35 lakh. Subsequent visits to Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank confirmed additional unauthorized deductions, bringing the total loss to ₹16.14 lakh.
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The victim promptly contacted the cybercrime helpline and filed a complaint, alleging that the fraudster posed as a BMC official, manipulated her into clicking a phishing link, and siphoned off funds from multiple accounts over several weeks. The West Cyber Police have registered an FIR against the unidentified woman and are investigating the case under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and Indian Penal Code.
This incident serves as a grim reminder of how online scams continue to target vulnerable individuals, particularly senior citizens, using deceptive tactics and fake official identities. Authorities have once again urged the public to verify contact details from official government websites and avoid clicking on suspicious links sent by unknown individuals.