Mumbai Assistant Director Loses ₹3.39 Lakh in KYC Scam, Police Register Cyber Fraud Case
A 34-year-old assistant director from Mumbai, Chetan Desai, fell prey to a phishing scam and lost ₹3.39 lakh after being duped by a fraudster posing as a bank representative.
Desai, a resident of Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri West, received a message in early April warning him that his YES Bank account had been closed due to outdated KYC (Know Your Customer) information. Concerned by the alert, he immediately called the number mentioned in the message.
The caller claimed to be a bank official and convinced Desai that he needed to update his KYC details urgently to prevent permanent account deactivation. The fraudster sent a suspicious link and also demanded personal credentials over the phone. Trusting the caller, Desai shared his Aadhaar number, PAN, and bank account details.
Within moments, Desai received four transaction alerts from his bank notifying him of unauthorized withdrawals totaling ₹3.39 lakh. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he quickly called the cybercrime helpline at 1930 and reported the incident.
The Oshiwara Police later registered an FIR on April 7 against an unidentified individual under sections 318(4) (cheating and dishonesty) and 319(2) (impersonation with intent to cheat) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and urged citizens to remain cautious while responding to unsolicited messages, especially those involving financial information.
