Nagpur: A middle-aged man fell prey to cyber crooks who sent him fake messages for updating his electricity bills and tricked him into revealing his bank details that were used to transfer Rs 2.14 lakh from his bank account.
The victim, Praveen Ajabrao Umak(48), a resident of Plot No 124, Shriram Nagar, Beltarodi, told police that he received text messages on his mobile phone from cell numbers 6295214913 and 7864053121 informing him that his electricity connection would be disconnected if he did not pay the bills. Impersonating as officers of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), they directed him to call on the cell number given in the message on April 30, 2022.
When Umak contacted the cell numbers, fraudsters asked him to install a remote access app that allegedly allowed them to view his mobile activities. After he completed the downloading process, the fraudsters asked him to pay the bill. As soon as he clicked on the link, Rs 2.14 lakh were transferred to another account from his bank account.
Following the victim’s complaint, Beltarodi Police registered a case under Sections 419, 420 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, and started investigation.