Check your phone regularly to protect your bank account

Bank | admin | April 14, 2011 at 9:03 am

The Cyber Crime Police have a new challenge from the phishers . The cops are investigating two cases wherein money was withdrawn from the victims' bank accounts after obtaining new SIM cards in their names.

Explaining the modus operandi, an officer investigating the cases said phishers after accessing their victim's data such as bank account/credit card/PAN numbers, address, date of birth and mobile phone numbers, prepare a fake PAN card and obtain a new SIM card in the victim's name. Once the SIM card is issued, the victim's mobile phone — which has the old SIM card — gets deactivated. This is done to ensure the victim doesn't receive details of his/her bank account while it is being misused.

The first such case was reported in mid-January when Rs 1.75 lakh were withdrawn from a man's bank account. Four persons from Western suburbs were arrested. In the second instance, a woman's account was misused of Rs 3.87 lakh earlier this month, and one man was arrested. Names of those arrested have been withheld as the cops believe masterminds of the scam are at large.

In both cases, mobile phones of the two victims were suddenly disconnected . They were shocked to know their numbers were disconnected because they had applied for a new SIM card. Only after they checked their bank accounts did they realise the con.

An officer investigating the cases said, "We realised that phishers had accessed their bank account details. The victims had no idea how their details were stolen. The idea of getting a new SIM card in victim's name is something new."

A police source said, "In case of the woman who was conned, it was discovered that a woman of her age had visited the service provider's gallery posing as her, and got a new number. Money withdrawn from both victims' accounts was traced to accounts in different banks and subsequently withdrawn through ATMs."

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deven Bharti said, "This modus operandi is a matter of concern and making mobile phone service providers, banks and citizens aware of it is the only way to control the problem."

Source: Economic Times