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A Teacher Lost ₹5+ lakh to An Electricity Bill Scam; Now Afraid of Huge Impact on Daughter’s Education

Synopsis:

A teacher in Mumbai was defrauded of ₹5.78 lakh as a result of an electricity bill scam, prompted by concerns of potential test disruption. Police probe going on.

Mumbai: A 69-year-old teacher living in Malad, Mumbai, became entangled in a cyber fraud scheme after yielding to concerns over a possible power outage that could impair his daughter’s Class X board exam preparation. The unknown victim suffered a significant loss of ₹5.78 lakh during the incident. The Malad police have initiated an inquiry into the incident.

The teacher, who resides in Malad (West), cohabitates with his spouse and two offspring. The individual’s choice to respond to misleading communication about an upcoming power outage established the foundation for the fraudulent plan.

During the afternoon of a Monday, the recipient of the message was alerted on his mobile device about a possible interruption of electricity if he did not pay his bill by 9:30 pm that same day. Concerned about the possibility of interruption to his daughter’s education, the teacher felt an urgent need to take immediate action.

In his formal complaint, he stated, “Concerned that a power outage may significantly disrupt my daughter’s studies for her class 10 exams, I reached out to the individual who introduced himself as Deepak Sharma from the Adani (power) office in Dindoshi.”

The victim was instructed to download the Quick Support app by the alleged sender, under the pretense of guaranteeing a continuous power supply. Nevertheless, this application functioned as a tool for the fraudster to extract confidential banking data from the target by pretending to offer a service for paying bills.

The teacher acquiesced to the scamster’s instructions, unknowingly granting access to his banking information. In the evening, he received a troubling notification about his banking activity. After doing an inquiry, he was disheartened to uncover that a sum of ₹5.78 lakh had been illicitly withdrawn from his account via five deceitful transactions.

Upon realizing the full depth of the deceit, the victim immediately notified the authorities, demanding redress for the significant monetary damages suffered. The Malad police have initiated an investigation and are actively following leads, which includes tracking the bank accounts involved in the fraudulent transactions.

A police official investigating the case revealed that the Malad police are now acquiring information regarding the bank accounts utilized by the criminals for receiving the funds.

Authorities advise the public to be cautious and skeptical when faced with unsolicited messages or demands for sensitive information, particularly related to financial problems. Remain watchful and ensure your safety.

About The Author:

Yogesh Naager is a content marketer who specializes in the cybersecurity and B2B space. Besides writing for the News4Hackers blog, he’s also written for brands including CollegeDunia, Utsav Fashion, and NASSCOM. Naager entered the field of content in an unusual way. He began his career as an insurance sales executive, where he developed an interest in simplifying difficult concepts. He also combines this interest with a love of narrative, which makes him a good writer in the cybersecurity field. In the bottom line, he frequently writes for Craw Security.