New Delhi (Agency): A business entrepreneur from Thane district, Maharashtra, has been ensnared in a sophisticated ‘unpaid bill’ scam, culminating in a loss of Rs 3.67 lakh to online criminals, as revealed by local law enforcement on Tuesday.
The illicit operation unfolded on June 22, when the victim, domiciled in the Badlapur area, received a call from an unknown individual. The caller alleged that the businessman had failed to settle his electricity bill, threatening the discontinuation of his power supply, according to an official from Badlapur police station.
The unidentified caller instructed the victim to install a specific app and discharge the supposed bill through it. After downloading the app, the businessman’s son conducted a trial transaction of Rs 100, which seemed to go through without a hitch. The fraudster then cunningly requested the victim’s mobile number, which the son unsuspectingly provided.
Upon sharing the phone number, a sum of Rs 3,67,760 was rapidly siphoned off from the victim’s bank account via numerous transactions, the official narrated.
In the aftermath of this cyber heist, the victim lodged a formal complaint with the police on Monday, leading to the initiation of a criminal case against the unknown perpetrators under the relevant laws. The police are currently probing the case, yet no arrests have been made so far.
