Bengaluru man loses Rs 3 lakh to fraudsters while booking flight ticket over technical issue

By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Aug 6, 2024, 2:45 PM IST

A Bengaluru man, Shravan, lost Rs 3 lakh to scammers while booking a flight. Believing he was contacting the airline's call centre, he provided credit card details and faced unauthorized deductions totalling Rs 2.3 lakh. Despite blocking his accounts, scammers tricked him into giving another card’s details, leading to an additional Rs 78,817 debit.

In a troubling incident, a 43-year-old man from Bengaluru lost Rs 3 lakh to fraudsters while trying to book a flight ticket. The victim, Shravan (name changed), who resides on Hosur Main Road, filed a complaint with the Adugodi police after falling prey to a scam on July 30-31.

Shravan, who works abroad, had returned to Bengaluru to attend his mother's final rites. Eager to return to his place of work after the rituals, he attempted to book a flight ticket online. However, he encountered technical issues with the website and decided to contact the airline’s call centre for assistance.

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Finding a contact number on the internet, Shravan called what he believed was the airline’s customer service. The person on the other end, who claimed to be a company representative, instructed Shravan to provide his credit card details, including the CVV number and PIN, to complete the payment. Trusting the caller, Shravan complied. Soon after, he observed a debit of Rs 77,000 from his bank account.

Concerned, Shravan called the same number again. The scammer assured him that the deduction was due to technical difficulties. However, things took a turn for the worse when an additional Rs 1.5 lakh was debited from his credit card. Alarmed, Shravan immediately contacted his bank to block his account and credit cards.

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Despite blocking his accounts, the fraudsters continued to reach out, convincing Shravan that his money would be refunded. They persuaded him to provide details of another credit card, promising a refund. Unfortunately, another Rs 78,817 was soon debited from this new card.

Shravan reported the incident to Adugodi police on August 1. The police revealed that the scam calls originated from Noida, Uttar Pradesh. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act, and an investigation is underway.

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