Mallika Dureja
The cybercrime branch has traced a growing trend among cyber crooks wherein gullible persons are prompted to click on fraudulent links to complete their KYC norms or connect their PAN cards to their bank accounts only to be shown mirror images of their internet banking webpages before the money in their accounts gets siphoned off to unknown accounts outside Maharashtra.
According to the cybercrime branch, nearly 23 persons have been conned in this manner last month wherein amounts ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh have been transferred to accounts outside the state in a matter of seconds.
The cybercrime department has outlined the modus operandi wherein a link for completion of KYC norms or connecting the PAN card to the bank account is sent to victims, who, without thinking click on the link and immediately see their bank homepage which is actually a fake page generated by the cyber criminals. Within seconds, the amount/s in their accounts get transferred to some other account/s outside Maharashtra, the police said.
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Cyber police station in-charge Meenal Patil said that 23 victims had complained to the police about being cheated in this manner. “They (cyber criminals) have copied internet banking webpages to carry out their crimes and the amount siphoned off has been traced to banks located in Rajasthan and Delhi. We have sought details of the bank accounts and further investigation is underway in the cases,” Patil said.
Things to keep in mind
Always login into the bank account from an authentic website
Check whether there is a lock sign on the address bar of the website
Avoid clicking on message links sent from different numbers
Give priority to KYC work by visiting banks
