Ahmedabad: A 64-year-old retired bank employee from Chandkheda lost Rs 15.3 lakh to cyber fraudsters posing as customer care executives. They allegedly tricked him into installing malicious files on his mobile phone and gained remote access to his banking applications. Cybercrime police registered an FIR on Tuesday.According to the complaint, the man came across an advertisement on YouTube that claimed senior citizens and pensioners could avail of all banking services from home. After expressing interest through the advertisement, he received a call the following day from a person claiming to be from a public sector bank’s customer care service.The caller instructed him to download his bank’s application, and later contacted him through a WhatsApp video call. During the call, the fraudster allegedly asked him to enable screen-sharing and enter his mobile banking PIN, claiming it was part of the verification process.The complainant alleged that he was then sent two “verification and customer support” files on WhatsApp and asked to download and install them. Soon after installing the files, the complainant was unable to operate his phone.The next morning, the “executive” informed him over WhatsApp that the “installation” was complete. Shortly after, the complainant began receiving SMS alerts showing multiple unauthorised transactions from his bank accounts.Police said Rs 15.34 lakh was transferred from three linked bank accounts without his knowledge. The victim immediately contacted the National Cyber Crime Helpline and later lodged a formal complaint with Cybercrime police.Police suspect the files were malicious APK applications that enabled remote access to the victim’s device and banking credentials. A case has been registered against unidentified persons for cheating, impersonation, unauthorised access to computer resources and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
