Online Fraud in Mumbai: Scammers Ask Woman to Download AnyDesk App, Dupes Her of Rs 4.4 Lakh While Booking Dubai Air Tickets in Juhu
A 64-year-old senior citizen, Gita Shenoy, residing in Mumbai's Juhu, fell victim to cyber scammers while attempting to book air tickets to Dubai. The fraudulent scheme resulted in a significant loss of Rs 4.4 lakh for the unsuspecting victim.
Mumbai, December 30: A 64-year-old senior citizen, Gita Shenoy, residing in Mumbai's Juhu, fell victim to cyber scammers while attempting to book air tickets to Dubai. The fraudulent scheme resulted in a significant loss of Rs 4.4 lakh for the unsuspecting victim. The scammers, operating with cunning precision, exploited the online ticket booking platform Skyscanner, replacing the legitimate contact number with their own.
As per the Indian Express report, Shenoy, who was seeking to book tickets online, called the manipulated phone number listed on the Skyscanner website. Posing as a representative from Skyscanner, the fraudster instructed her to download the AnyDesk app on her mobile phone. Believing it to be a legitimate process, Shenoy complied, granting the scammer remote access to her device. Online Fraud in Mumbai: Fraudsters Ask Malabar Hill Woman To Pay Rs 10 To Change Her Name on Goa Flight Ticket Online, Swindle Victim's Account of Rs 1.84 Lakh in Eight Transactions.
The fraudster, under the guise of assisting with the booking, guided Shenoy to share a received code, unlocking unauthorised access to her phone. Exploiting this access, the scammer swiftly executed transactions, siphoning off Rs 4.4 lakh from Shenoy's bank account. Discovering the unauthorised transactions, the victim promptly reported the incident to the Juhu police, who swiftly registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the unidentified perpetrators. Crypto Trading Scam in Mumbai: Doctor Duped of Over Rs 1 Crore After Purchasing Cryptocurrencies on Instruction of 'Expert' Met on Facebook.
The police investigation has unveiled a common tactic employed by cybercriminals in such scams – the abuse of Google's online mobile number change option. This revelation has raised concerns about potential security gaps in the system that could be exploited to gain unauthorised access to accounts. The Juhu police are actively working to trace the fraudsters and gather information about the bank accounts used for the fraudulent transfers.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2023 04:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).