Madhya Pradesh: Retired railway employee duped of 7.40 Lakh in fake pension verification call

The victim was targeted by scammers posing as railway officials who demanded an urgent video call for "pension verification", eventually gaining access to his account to syphon off his savings.

Gwalior Cyber Police and Cyber Crime Investigation Cell noted that the victim was pressured into a video call under the threat of his pension being stopped, and he subsequently received messages indicating transactions.

Speaking to ANI, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manish Yadav said, "Banwari Lal Sharma, a resident of the Hazira area, received a video call informing him that his pension details required verification and that some information was pending. Shortly thereafter, funds were transferred from his account to the fraudsters' account. A total of 7.40 lakh was siphoned off first, 5 lakh and subsequently 2.40 lakh."

Police stated that the victim lodged a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station after realising that he had been defrauded.

"A retired railway employee from the Hazira police station area submitted a complaint to the Crime Branch, stating that he had been defrauded of approximately 7.50 lakh," DSP Manish Yadav stated.

Explaining the modus operandi, DSP said, "As a pensioner, the victim received a call from someone claiming to represent the Railways (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh), stating that a pension verification was required. When he questioned this, noting that he usually underwent physical verification by visiting the office in December, he was told that a new online facility required verification via video call, and that failure to comply would result in his pension being stopped. When the cyber fraudsters initiated the video call, he subsequently received messages indicating transactions of 5 lakh, followed by 2.40 lakh."

Outlining the next steps, the investigating Manish Yadav explained, "The Crime Branch has registered the case and is gathering information regarding the accused and the bank accounts where the money was transferred. Once this information is received, we will dispatch a team to the locations where the funds were sent and attempt to apprehend the cyber fraudsters."

The Madhya Pradesh Police Headquarters is also running a 'Safe Click 2' campaign to raise awareness about such cyber fraud.

Manish Yadav, DSP (Cyber Crime), Gwalior, said, "We urge you not to trust such video calls, links, or claims, such as someone saying the police are calling via video or alleging that you have received money linked to money laundering. Instead, please contact your nearest police station or file a complaint by calling 1930."

"These fraudsters operate within a vast network and easily obtain information via the Dark Net, and they also gather details through agents stationed in various locations. Acquiring such information is not difficult for them, and once they have it, they typically call numerous people... Due to a lack of cyber awareness, people often fall into their traps and become victims of fraud," DSP Manish Yadav said. (ANI)