Mumbai: An 87-year-old retired BMC doctor from Mumbai became a victim of cyber fraud, and was duped of Rs 16.14 lakh while searching for pest control services online. The incident occurred when she looked up contact details on the internet and was contacted by fraudsters posing as legitimate officials. The criminals initially asked for a Rs50 registration charge, obtained her banking details, and subsequently carried out the fraud. The West Cyber Region registered the case against an unknown person on April 3.
The elderly victim, residing in Khar, was deceived while searching for ‘BMC H West Ward (Khar)’ pest control services on Dec 20, 2024, seeking arrangements for her housing society’s pest control. “She inadvertently contacted fraudsters instead of genuine BMC officials. Upon answering, a female fraudster informed her about a Rs50 registration requirement. We have sought the bank to freeze the accounts to which the money got credited,” stated a cyber police officer.
Although aware that BMC pest control services were complimentary, the fraudster claimed new regulations necessitated online registration payment, asserting that BMC officials would not visit without completed registration. The senior citizen said: “The call was transferred to a male accomplice. As I told that I am unfamiliar with online banking, the fraudster engaged me in conversation while acquiring her bank details. I received an alert about Rs 2.86 lakh being debited from my bank account. When questioned, the fraudster claimed it was an accidental transfer to BMC’s account, promised a Rs1 lakh refund.”
Subsequently, the elderly woman instructed the bank to stop online transactions from three of her bank accounts. but overlooked the fourth one. “On Feb 1, while updating the fourth bank account, she noticed withdrawals of Rs13.35 lakh.
