Police Employee Falls Victim to Cyber Fraud, Files Case After Unauthorized Loan and FD Creation
Cyber Scam Targets Thane Police Department Employee
A Thane police department employee has fallen prey to a sophisticated cyber scam, resulting in the loss of ₹84,300 from his bank account.
Incident Details
The victim, a constable, claims that he did not share his banking credentials with anyone, and has filed a complaint against both the unknown hacker and the bank, alleging system lapses.
Sequence of Events
The incident occurred on February 10, when the constable received two SMS alerts informing him of debits of ₹50,000 and ₹28,000 from his account.
Upon visiting the bank the next day, he was informed that his account and mobile number had been compromised.
A review of his account revealed that a loan of ₹73,540 had been taken out in his name, and a fixed deposit of ₹73,000 had been created in favour of another individual, leaving only ₹11,300 in his account.
Furthermore, on February 13, the constable received a bank message stating that ₹51,532 had been spent on a credit card issued in his name, which he claims he never applied for or possessed.
Allegations and Investigation
The victim has alleged that the bank’s security measures were inadequate, allowing the perpetrator to process transactions without obtaining one-time password (OTP) authorisation or his consent.
The case has been registered with the cyber police station and the local Kalwa police station, and investigators are probing the possibility of SIM swap fraud, compromise, or internal procedural lapses.
Expert Advice and Ongoing Investigation
The police are currently analysing digital logs, IP addresses, and transaction trails to identify the perpetrators and determine the method used in the breach.
The incident raises serious concerns about the security measures in place at the bank, and the ease with which the perpetrator was able to process transactions without the victim’s knowledge or consent.
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