Man loses Rs 65,000 in e-wallet fraud

KOLKATA: Police have started a probe into a complaint filed by a Port resident, who was allegedly conned after he installed the BHIM app and unsuspectingly shared his bank details.



The victim, police said, had earlier complained that he had lost Rs 2,400 from his nationalised bank account. According to cops, the complainant came across a fake Facebook page of the nationalised bank in which it was promised that such victims will be refunded their lost amount forthwith. For that, the fake page urged customers to install the app, which enables cashless payments.

“The victim was new to the app. He gave away all his details for a Rs 2,400 refund. A few later, the accused called up to say that

the victim had ‘erroneously’ transferred Rs 24,000 from his account.

The conman

then went a step further saying he would return the entire money if his personal bank details were filled in the app again. This continued till the victim lost Rs 65,000 and realized he was conned,” an officer said. Everytime the victim provided his details in the app, it was used to

siphon

off cash from his own account.

“Frauds are now innovating. They request money transfer through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in the app. If the user approves the request, either accidentally or due to lack of knowledge, the requested amount is transferred to fraudster instantly.” explained an officer.