Mumbai: An elderly woman has fallen victim to cyber fraud after responding to a fake message about an unpaid electricity bill. She lost Rs 6,91,859.
The 65-year-old lives in Andheri and got a message on her husband's phone about an overdue bill that said the electricity connection will be disconnected if the amount is not paid. A phone number was given in the text and the woman called on the number. A person picked up the call and introduced himself as an employee of the Adani Electricity office. She was further given instructions to download an app 'Team viewer quick support'.
A while after she followed the instruction, she got messages that Rs. 4,62,959, Rs. 1,39,900, and Rs. 89,000 was debited from her account, reported ANI. When the SBI bank's fraud management team contacted her about the recent transaction, she said she did not carry them out.
The victim filed a complaint at Andheri Police station under sections 420,66(C) and 66(D) of IPC.
Cyber security experts have repeatedly warned against visiting unauthorised or unfamiliar sites. When you are about to make a payment, a yellow padlock symbol in the browser window shows that the process is secure.
Calls from people who ask for passwords, PIN numbers, or bank accounts are legit because legitimate companies will never ask for these details over the phone or email. Any message that threatens extreme actions like disconnecting the electricity or suspending the bank account is not legit. An establishment, government or private, cannot threaten you with such actions. They will only give you more time to pay the bill or fix any problems.