CHENNAI: A 44-year-old traffic constable attached to the Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) allegedly lost Rs 1.22 lakh after clicking a phishing link that he received on a WhatsApp group of traffic police personnel, on August 16. A case has been registered and an inquiry is underway to trace the fraudster.
The victim Mukesh (name changed) was a head constable in the traffic enforcement wing. On August 16, he received a message on the official WhatsApp group with a link to a mobile application called “RTO.” Mukesh closed the application after clicking on it but later in the night, Rs 10,000 was debited from his account which he thought to be an EMI deduction.
Speaking to TNIE, Mukesh said, “The next day, Rs 1.12 lakh was debited in a single transaction. That’s when I got worried and went to the bank. The officials checked and said that my phone was hacked and the money was stolen.” Mukesh then lodged a police complaint and the cyber crime wing police are conducting an inquiry.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the person, also a police personnel, who sent the message in the WhatsApp group, also compromised his phone when he accidentally clicked the link from the same group. However, he did not lose money. A probe is underway to trace the first victim.
“I have submitted my phone for investigation and it has been found that after I clicked the link, the fraudster had gained control over my phone and used it to transfer money. The person had full access to my messages for OTP,” Mukesh said. A senior police officer said that the cyber crime police team is actively pursuing all leads and those involved will be swiftly identified and arrested.