Swift intervention by bank, cyber police save doctor from losing lakhs to scammers in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The swift intervention of the Cyber Investigation Division helped a Changanassery-based doctor recover Rs 4.2 lakh that he had transferred to cyber scammers, who had held him under 'virtual arrest' after making him believe they were from the Mumbai police.
The doctor was contacted by the cyber criminals impersonating Mumbai police officers on Tuesday, alleging that they had found him involved in illegal financial activities. Known as vishing, this tactic is the most popular method used by scammers to fleece money from unsuspecting victims.
The fraudsters operated with such finesse that the doctor was made to believe them. They enforced his 'virtual arrest' and goaded him into transferring Rs 5.2 lakh to a bank account. However, the SBI Financial Intelligence Unit found something suspicious as the money was transferred to an account that had already been flagged.
They immediately contacted the Changanassery branch of the bank, and the branch manager duly alerted the Cyber Investigation Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. The cyber police liaised with the local police, and within 15 minutes, the officers managed to locate the doctor's residence.
A cyber police official told TNIE that when the cops in uniform knocked on the victim's door, he was reluctant to cooperate with them, thinking that it was none of their business.
"He had believed everything the impersonators said. So when our men reached his place, he was like, 'Please don't interfere. This is a serious matter.' The cops forced their way into the doctor's room and briefed him about the scam. After learning that financial transactions had taken place, the cops registered a complaint with 1930, the national cyber crime helpline. Since the complaint was filed immediately after the transaction, the cops managed to retrieve Rs 4.2 lakh," an official said.
Cyber police sources said the SBI had set up a special intelligence wing to monitor suspicious transactions, which helped in detecting the fraud.
"The State Police Chief had written to the RBI and the central government recommending the implementation of several measures to curb cyber financial crimes. One of the suggestions was to set up financial intelligence units in each bank. Unfortunately, there were not many takers for the suggestions. However, SBI set up its own unit, and because of that, they could prevent fraud," said a senior officer.
