Udupi: Cyber fraudsters defraud lakhs of rupees; Separate cases filed

Udupi: The menace of online fraud is rising day by day. Despite warnings, many continue to lose huge sums of money to cyber fraudsters.

Separate cases have been filed at the Udupi CEN police station in 3 such cybercrimes.

In the first instance, Mahadeva of Byndoor was allegedly defrauded of Rs 99,992 by online scammers posing as customer service operators of a reputed hospital in Mangaluru. When the victim contacted a phone number through a Google search to get admission to a hospital, he was directed to download a “Customer Support App” through a link sent on WhatsApp message.

The victim was asked to upload his personal details and payment. He was asked to submit the password and OTP and asked to come to the hospital the next day. In the meanwhile, the fraudsters withdrew Rs 99,992 from the victim’s account in several transactions.

In the second case, a woman in Manipal lost close to Rs 3 lakhs in the guise of completing tasks given on the Telegram App. The complainant, identified as Raksha, received a message on WhatsApp about an opportunity of earning money by completing simple tasks. The scammers fleeced Rs 2,92,500 from the victim for completing various formalities.

In the third instance, Avinash Shettigar of Parkala reportedly lost more than Rs 1 lakh in a KYC updation scam. According to the complaint, Avisash got a call on the phone number registered with the bank informing him that his KYC needs updation.

The unknown caller who identified himself as a bank employee, told him that the bank account would be deactivated if the process is not completed urgently. After winning his confidence, the person asked Avinash to share his card details and OTP and later transferred Rs 1,07,000 in multiple online transactions.