Alert And Aware: How This Kanpur Couple Got Rs 11 Lakh Back After Losing Money To Cyber Crime – News18

Last Updated:November 29, 2024, 10:43 IST

To initiate the process in the bank, a dispute form was mandatory to submit. The bank then checked the suspicious activity and blocked the account.

Digital arrests, online scams have become common and several people have been seen falling prey to them, losing their hard-earned money. However, if you stay vigilant and attentive, you can save your money from fraudsters, just like this Kanpur couple did.

Pooja and Madhav Mathur from Kanpur fell prey to an online scam, losing a whopping Rs 11 lakh. The couple received a text message of a bank OTP, notifying a transaction of Rs 50,000 in the wee hours of the morning. Following this, two more similar text message came with different amounts.

How The Mathurs Got Their Money Back

On checking, the couple realised that the login details of their current bank account in ICICI bank were compromised. After changing the password immediately, they noticed that the transactions were still happening. The scammer not only had access to their bank details but also to the required OTPs. Pooja and Madhav then connected with the bank and informed about the scam.

“I never open any suspicious link or website on my phone, I don’t know how the scammer got my private details,” said Madhav.

To initiate the process in the bank, a dispute form was mandatory to submit. The bank then checked the suspicious activity and blocked the account. By the time the account got blocked, they had received five OTPs for a total amount of Rs 10.59 lakh. After alerting the bank, they connected with the cyber crime cell-1930, which assisted them in filing a report in the nearest cyber police station with required documents such as order reference numbers, Bank details etc.

The scammer strategically spent the money on two mega e-commerce websites, making huge orders ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh, taking the total amount to Rs 11 lakh.

The e-commerce websites were contacted and alerted about the scam. The orders were traced via reference numbers, but the source was untraceable. As soon as the orders of expensive gadgets and appliances were blocked, the process of refund was initiated. The complete amount was refunded to the couple within 4-5 working days.

This could only happen because the incident was reported immediately as the orders were meant for same day delivery. The cyber cell police informed that the scammer had the best membership of the website and he/she was eligible for same day delivery. The cyber police also said that this scam was well planned as it happened on the bypolls day in the city (November 20) when all the banks were closed and the police forces were busy in election duty.

What To Do If You Fall Victim To Such Scams

This case is an eye opener for many who can fall prey to such scams. Here’s what you should do if you get entangled in such a scam:

1. Contact Your Bank or Card Company:

• If financial information was compromised, contact the bank to stop payments or freeze accounts.
• To initiate the action, you must fill a dispute form which is provided by the bank.

2. Report to Authorities:

• Report the scam to cyber crime cell immediately. 1930 is the central number, then they connect you with the required zone.
• 112 is the Emergency response number in India

3. Change Passwords and Monitor Accounts:

• Advise the victim to change passwords immediately and monitor financial or online accounts for any unauthorised activity.

The key to get yourself out of such scams is not to panic and staying alert. If you are quick to report the scam with required details, tracing can be started immediately. Be alert and be safe.