BENGALURU: A retired police officer was defrauded of Rs 1.27 lakh after his son shared his government documents to renew his life certificate, a biometric-enabled service provided to government employees to continue receiving pension benefits.
To renew the life certificate digitally, the victim approached his bank following which the accused, posing as a bank employee, contacted him. Under the pretense of assisting, the accused requested the victim’s government ID details and swindled Rs 1.27 lakh.
Rohith KS, 37, a yoga instructor said, “My father, Shivaswamy S, a retired police officer, is a heart patient. I contacted the bank where my father’s account is linked and even visited the bank in Byatarayanapura following which they provided me with a number and link. I dialled the number provided by the bank and selected a time slot to provide ID details. I booked my slots around 8-9 times and consistently received a message promising a call back from the bank but did not get a callback.”
On Friday, Rohith received a call on his father’s phone.
“The woman who called told that she’s from my bank and offered assistance in renewing my father’s life certificate. As I was trying to book the slots, I believed it to be a legitimate call and shared government ID details. I then received a text with an OTP from my bank.
Since the message had my bank name mentioned, I shared the OTP to go ahead with the procedures. Within no time, the entire bank balance was debited,” Rohith said. “My parents are unwell and that was our only savings,” he added. Byatarayanapura police have registered a case.