40 Bank Customers in Mumbai Duped of Lakhs Through Fake KYC Link; TV Actor Among Victims

Mumbai: In another case of rising cyber fraud, at least 40 customers of a private bank in Mumbai lost lakhs of rupees within three days after falling for a phishing scam disguised as a KYC and PAN update request.

According to police, fraudsters sent fake text messages to customers, warning them that their bank accounts would be blocked if they did not update their KYC and PAN details. The messages contained links that took users to a fake website that looked like the bank’s official site.

Unaware of the scam, victims entered sensitive information such as customer IDs, passwords, and OTPs on the fake site. The fraudsters then misused this information to steal their money.

In an advisory, Mumbai Police urged citizens to stay alert and avoid clicking on suspicious links that ask for banking information. The police emphasized that no bank ever asks customers to share confidential details like passwords or OTPs through links or text messages.

Among those who reported the fraud was TV actor Shweta Menon. In her complaint, she said she received a text message last Thursday that seemed to come from her bank. Trusting the source, she clicked on the link and entered her login details and OTP, leading to unauthorized transactions in her account.

Authorities have advised all bank customers to verify any communication directly with their bank and to report suspicious activity right away to the cybercrime helpline number 1930.