Victim approached local bank and national cybercrime helpline after verification message led to mobile disruption, unauthorised fund transfers
Retired officer clicked the fake government link and paid Re 1 for verification. Representation pic/istock
A cyber fraud incident has been reported from Mumbai’s Sakinaka area, where a retired government officer lost Rs 4.10 lakh after being duped through a fake link linked to the Prime Minister’s portal. The fraud came to light after the senior citizen approached the police, following which a case was registered.
According to Sakinaka police, the complainant is a 71-year-old retired government officer who had recently come from Delhi to stay with his family in Mumbai. On December 12, he shared a suggestion on social media regarding the improvement of medical facilities in Ayodhya. On the advice of relatives, he later submitted the same suggestion on the official PM portal.
On December 16, the victim received an SMS claiming that verification was required for the submission. The message carried a link resembling an official government website and asked him to pay Rs 1 as part of the verification process. Trusting the message, he clicked on the link and completed the transaction.
Soon after, several OTP messages began appearing on his phone, though he did not share them with anyone. The next day, his mobile phone stopped functioning for incoming and outgoing calls, while OTP alerts continued. Between 11.29 am and 11.39 am on December 17, three unauthorised transactions were carried out, withdrawing Rs 4.10 lakh from his bank account.
The victim immediately contacted his bank in Sakinaka, where he was advised to submit a dispute form and lodge a police complaint. He also reported the fraud on the National Cyber Crime helpline before approaching the police.
A case was registered on December 24, and investigations are underway to trace the fake link, OTP activity and money trail. Police have cautioned citizens that government portals do not seek verification through SMS links or token payments.
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