HYDERABAD: SBI Lothukunta branch manager averted cyber fraud with the timely help from the police on Wednesday.
According to branch manager Naveen Kumar, a senior citizen who is a customer of the branch received a phone call from unknown persons who claimed that they were officials from Delhi customs office.The fraudsters told the 78-year-old person that he received a parcel containing 16 passports and ATM cards from Malaysia.
The fraudsters told the customer that 30 bank accounts were opened on his Aadhaar card and an amount of Rs 88 crore was involved in money laundering through these accounts.
The fraudsters wanted the customer to transfer money to their account to get a police clearance certificate. They enquired about the bank account details of the customer. The customer, who is a doctor by profession and runs a nursing home along with his wife, also a doctor, informed us that all he had was Rs 30 lakh in his account.
Then, the fraudsters wanted him to close the account and transfer the money. The scared customer approached the bank manager and wanted him to close the account as he needed money for his wife’s surgery.
The bank officials, who suspected something was fishy, contacted the hospital and found that the details provided by the customer were wrong. The bank officials then informed the matter to the police. The customer narrated the entire story to the police how he was traumatised and put under tremendous mental stress for about three hours.
The bank officials saved the senior citizen from “digital” arrest. The customers, in case of suspicious transactions, can approach the branch for or call 1930 or by lodging a complaint on the official government portal - www.cybercrime.gov.in.