Nobody is safe from the ravages of time. Once a retired Income Tax officer who would catch the fraudsters of tax became a victim of online fraud.
An 81-year-old retired Income Tax officer from Mira Road fell victim to a cunning cyber fraud, losing ₹2.06 lakh.
How?
He was trying to fix a subscription issue with a broadband service provider’s OTT platform.
The retired officer had subscribed to a south-Indian channel, which suddenly stopped streaming on his smart TV.
To resolve the issue, he searched online for the broadband service’s helpline number but unknowingly contacted cyber crooks who had uploaded a fake number on an illegitimate website designed to look like the original.
Shortly after the call, the fraudsters reached out to him using a personal number. Pretending to assist him, they asked for a small “service authentication fee” of just ₹2, to be transferred to a specified digital wallet. Trusting them, the officer made the transfer.
Within 24 hours, he was horrified to discover that ₹2.06 lakh had been drained from his bank account through five UPI transactions.
Cybercriminals have been leveraging search engines and AI-based optimization to ensure their fake numbers appear at the top of search results. This has become a common tactic to trap unsuspecting individuals seeking customer support online.
Following the incident, an FIR was registered and the formal proceedings are underway but the fact is, there must be awareness. No OTT company operates this way. We must tell our readers that NEVER EVER pay any company if you are having any issues with any OTT platform. If there is any problem, tag them on X or contact us. We will try our best to raise your voice.