An elderly resident of Dum Dum, a doctor by profession, was on a visit to a relative’s home in the Dover Lane area of Gariahat. While there, he received a message on his mobile asking him to update his PAN card by clicking on the link provided in the message, and filling in a form. Despite being familiar with digital transactions and net banking procedures, the doctor unthinkingly clicked on the link provided by an unknown number. Instantly, a remote access app called Any Desk was downloaded to his phone, without his knowledge.
Kolkata Police have mentioned Any Desk in our earlier posts. Remote access apps like this give fraudsters easy access to your mobile or computer, which is exactly what happened to the doctor. Sitting in his relative’s home, he needed to log in to his net banking account on his mobile, which meant his login ID and password were visible to the scammers. The first thing they did was change the password, which shut him out of his own account. They then replaced the doctor’s mobile number linked to his bank account with one of their own, so that he would no longer receive notifications of any transactions from his account.
Having repeatedly failed to log in to his account, the doctor realised that his net banking details may have been hacked. Without wasting any more time, he got in touch with Gariahat Police Station and then the South East Division Cyber Cell, where Sergeant Rahul Bose and his team immediately swung into action.
By now, the scammers had removed Rs 2 lakh from the doctor’s fixed deposit account, though he had received no intimation of the transaction. Thanks to the promptness of our colleagues at the SED Cyber Cell, the entire amount was recovered within 24 hours. However, Sgt Bose has warned the doctor about using the net banking facility more carefully and safely in future. Sharing the picture of Sergeant Rahul Bose of Cyber Cell, South East Division and appreciation letter sent by Bimal Poddar (the victim)
