Bengaluru: Senior Citizen Duped of ₹3.5 Lakh by Fraudsters Posing as Election Commission Officials

An 82-year-old Bengaluru resident lost ₹3.5 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as Election Commission officials tricked him into completing a fake voter verification process. The accused used a malicious app and QR code to siphon money from his bank account.

An 82-year-old man from Bengaluru lost ₹3.5 lakh to cyber fraudsters who posed as officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and tricked him into completing a fake Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter verification process. The accused allegedly used a fraudulent WhatsApp call, a malicious mobile application and a QR code to gain access to the victim's bank account and siphon off the money. The incident was reported within the jurisdiction of the Jeevan Bhima Nagar Police Station.

Victim Tricked Into Downloading Fake Application

According to the complaint filed by R Parthasarathy, a resident of Rustum Bagh, he received a WhatsApp call from an unidentified person on June 30. The caller introduced himself as an official of the Election Commission of India.

The caller informed Parthasarathy that his SIR form verification had not been completed and that his application had therefore been rejected. The fraudster then sent him a link and instructed him to download a new application form, fill in the required details and complete the verification process.

QR Code Used to Steal ₹3.5 Lakh

The fraudster later instructed Parthasarathy to pay a fee to complete the verification process. When he attempted to make the payment using his credit card, the transaction failed. The accused then sent him a QR code and asked him to scan it.

After scanning the QR code, multiple unauthorised transactions were carried out, resulting in a total loss of ₹3.5 lakh from Parthasarathy's bank account.

Police Register Case

Realising that he had been cheated, Parthasarathy approached the Jeevan Bhima Nagar Police and lodged a complaint.

Based on his complaint, the police have registered a case against an unidentified person under the relevant provisions related to cyber fraud. An investigation is under way to identify and apprehend the accused.