BENGALURU: A joyous family movie outing took an unexpected turn when a man lost over Rs 1 lakh after agreeing to buy a multiplex gold card subscription. Ajay (name changed) was enticed into purchasing a multiplex gold card that promised free subscriptions and various offers from a private bank. To verify his address for card delivery, he shared his Aadhaar card and PAN card information. During this process, he was asked to provide an OTP, after which his bank balance dropped to Rs 200 from Rs 1,18,200.
On October 14, Ajay, a resident of Chandra Layout, who runs a garment trading business in Nagarabhavi, went to watch a movie at a mall on Mysore Road. He was offered a complimentary multiplex gold card that is exclusive during weekends. Enticed by the offer, he consented to provide his Aadhaar and PAN cards. He also shared the OTP.
Ajay said, “On October 15, when I checked the online bank portal, my bank balance was reduced to Rs 200 from Rs 1,18,200 after four subsequent transactions, but didn’t get any debit message from the bank. On contacting my bank, they informed me that debits occurred because I had shared the OTP, which granted access to my bank account due to the account being Aadhaar enabled. He added the bank informed him that the four transactions of Rs 99,999, Rs 1, Rs 15,000 and Rs 3,000 totalling Rs 1,18,000 were transferred to a private bank account held by one Debendu Mishra.
An officer said, “The multiplex informed us that they do not request credentials linked to any official documents. We are yet to ascertain whether the victim had been defrauded by the multiplex or if his case is connected to the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS). Many people carelessly share their Aadhaar details on various portals and end up losing money.” A case has been registered with the Byatarayanapura police under the IT Act.