Prompt action by TGCSB saves victim’s Rs 18 lakh from cyber fraudsters

Hyderabad: Thanks to the swift action by the victim in reporting a cybercrime to Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) and the cops’ equally fast response, his Rs 18 lakh were saved in a span of 11 minutes.

According to the TGCSB, the victim, a resident of Amberpet who works as a software employee lost Rs 18 lakh from his ICICI Bank account as he received a call from an unknown person impersonating a FedEx Courier Agency staff who said that someone used his Aadhaar card to transport illegal drugs from Mumbai to Iran and was told to contact Mumbai Cybercrime via Skype. He made the victim believe him by sending a forged document and threatened the victim to send money as part of verification.

They made the victim take a personal loan from his bank and told him to transfer it as a process of verification to the Ministry of Finance, which would be reversed after the verification gets completed. Believing it, the victim sent Rs 18 lakh from his bank account, but they didn’t reverse the transaction.

The victim felt suspicious and reached the Cyber Crime Police Station on Thursday at 6.58 pm. He met duty constable N Srikanth Naik, who looks after the NCRP Portal of Hyderabad City. He registered the complaint online on the NCRP portal and escalated with the ICICI Bank and to the suspect’s bank, who responded very well to his request and at about 7.09 pm they blocked the transaction for the whole amount in the account associated with cyber fraudsters. All these incidents happened in a total timespan of 11 minutes.

The quick and efficient action of Constable N Srikanth Naik has been appreciated, and he has been suitably rewarded for his commendable performance.

Police issued a public advisory urging the citizens to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to safeguard themselves against cyber fraud.

TGCSB appeals to the public that if any cyber fraud happens, they are urged to report to Cyber Crime helpline number 1930 immediately, or reach out to the nearest police station or visit the National Cyber Crime Reporting portal https://www.cybercrime.gov.in/.