By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Two residents of Patna, Akash from Kankarbagh and Ajay from Patrakar Nagar, have fallen victim to cybercrime scams, losing a combined sum of Rs 2.40 lakh. Both individuals have lodged complaints on the National Cyber Crime Portal.
Akash reported that he received a call from an unknown number, where the caller claimed to be from his bank’s credit card department. The caller promoted a “bumper offer” on a credit card, highlighting various benefits and persuading Akash to apply. After Akash agreed, the scammer requested his personal details and an OTP, which was described as a “confirmation code” for registering the card. Upon sharing the OTP, Rs 1.10 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from Akash’s account.
In a separate incident, Ajay Kumar from Patrakar Nagar was contacted by an unknown caller who informed him that his electricity bill needed updating, despite Ajay having recharged his meter just two days prior. The caller exploited this by claiming an additional update was required post-recharge. A link was then sent to Ajay via WhatsApp, which he accessed to fill in the requested details. After entering the OTP received, Rs 1 lakh was deducted from his account.
Local authorities urge caution against such scams and advise verifying the identity of callers before sharing sensitive information.
