Than-than Gopal! 1 lakh rupees disappeared from account due to linking of PAN card and mobile number
SMS received from bank
According to a PTI report, Madhavi Dutta is a resident of DLF Phase-5, Gurugram. He has allegedly been cheated of 1 lakh. He received a message on his phone on January 21 which read- “Dear User Your HDFC Account will be closed today click here on the link, your PAN card number from a mobile number.” This message means that user, your HDFC account will be closed today. Click on this link to link your PAN card with mobile.
Money lost on entering OTP
Mistaking the SMS for a bank notification, Dutta clicked on the link in the SMS. The link took him to a webpage where he followed instructions and provided his details. After following the process, Dutta entered the OTP which he received on his phone to link PAN and mobile. However, within minutes of entering this OTP, Rs 1 lakh was debited from his account. Then they realized that cyber criminals had scammed them.
Dutta has said in his complaint- “As soon as I entered the OTP, Rs 1 lakh was deducted from the account. I dialed the cyber helpline number 1930 several times but the call did not connect, then I went to the cyber portal and lodged a complaint.” Thereafter, an FIR under section 419 and 420 was registered at Cyber Crime, East Police Station.
Avoid banking fraud like this
The cases of SMS frauds and phishing links are not less and despite spreading all the information, making people aware, such cases are not coming down. If you want to avoid this, do not share your personal information, OTP with anyone. Do not click on any unknown link. Most of the people fall prey to fake messages in bank SMS scams.
In these SMS, you will feel as if you have received a message from the bank itself. But those messages will contain phishing links or you will be asked to share personal information. If you get trapped in their trap, then they will have remote access to your mobile. After this they will be able to access your bank account or steal money from your account.
