Mumbai: A 39-year-old businessman from Kalwa, Thane, lost Rs3.60 lakh to a banking app scam after trusting a Facebook advertisement. The victim had been unable to operate his mobile banking app for months and came across a Facebook post offering solutions to banking apprelated problems on July 15.
The post seemed like a saviour, and he clicked on the link provided, which downloaded a fraudulent app on his phone. Immediately, a scammer contacted him, posing as a bank official, and offered to help resolve the app issue. The scammer induced him to share his banking details on a form under the pretext of verifying his information.
Over a 10-minute phone call, the scammer siphoned Rs3.60 lakh from his bank account. After the call disconnected, the victim checked his phone and found bank transaction alert messages. Shocked, he tried calling the scammer several times, but when his calls remained unanswered, he realised he had been duped.
The victim then approached the police and got an offence registered in the matter. Thane police have lodged a case on charges of cheating, identity theft, and cheating by personation using computer resources under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Technology Act.
