Karnataka: Former top cop becomes victim of phishing scam, loses Rs 89,000
The complaint stated that he had received a message on his phone instructing him to update his Know Your Customer (KYC) details. The message also warned that his bank account would be blocked if he failed to update the details.
FollowIn a shocking incident, Karnataka’s former Director General and Inspector General of Police Shankar M Bidari fell prey to a phishing scam and lost Rs 89,000 after he shared his bank account details with cyber fraudsters, according to a complaint filed by him on October 11 with the south-east cybercrime police.
The complaint stated that he had received a message on his phone instructing him to update his Know Your Customer (KYC) details. The message also warned that his bank account would be blocked if he failed to update the details.
He also received a phone call where a person posing as a bank official said he would update KYC details and asked for a One Time Password (OTP) that the former cop had received on his phone.
Bidari was quick to share the OTP and, in the next few minutes, Rs 89,000 was debited from his account.
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Quickly, Bidari realised he had been a victim of cybercrime and alerted the bank and the police as well.
A Indian Express report states that the South CEN police said they have registered a case and have asked bank officials to freeze the transaction. It is the second time this year that Bidari has fallen prey to cybercrime. In March this year, cyber criminals had impersonated his personal email account and siphoned off Rs 25,000 from one of his friends.
Many of the retired and in-service IPS officers in the past have fallen prey to cyber-attack. Former Karnataka police chief Ajai Kumar Singh told police in February that he had lost Rs 2.13 lakh after his bank account was compromised.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials apprehended the accused, who was from Kolkata and discovered that he is an electrician by trade.
