An inspector-general rank officer posted with the state police was duped of at least Rs 25,000 by a group of men involved in banking frauds.
The Patna police higher-ups are tight-lipped about the case that happened early last month and an FIR was lodged on October 10.
The police are keeping the details under wraps because they believe that the top rung of government offices such as the police and the judiciary are being targeted in the fraud spree that has been going on in Patna and its outskirts for a while now.
The duped IG is concerned, the officer had received a call in early October and the caller had said that the officer's ATM card was on the verge of being blocked. Baffled, and in a hurry, she gave away the details of the ATM card, including the pin.
As soon as the caller managed to garner all the informations, three text messages landed on the IG's phone. On checking, the officer found that three transactions - Rs 9,999, Rs 9,999 and Rs 4,900 - have been carried out from the officer's account.
A police officer explained how the fraud was pulled off.
"The gang members pose as a manager or a senior executive of a bank. They call a 'target' stating that the victim's ATM card would soon be blocked because of technical reasons. The victims are then requested to provide the pin of their ATM card and to make sure that the card is not blocked," the officer said.
They are then told that they will get a "one-time password" (OTP) on their cellphone and are asked to provide them the OTP to the caller.
"Once the gang member gets the OTP, they mostly indulge in online shopping. They hardly use cash. Rather they use the ill-acquired money in purchasing stuff online, which they merrily sell back online to customers who are unaware that the online good has been bought with stolen money," the officer explained.
A police officer said that the fact that the gang was targeting important people holding high ranks was being investigated. However, the IG could be a random pick or a co-incidence because many common people in Patna have been duped too, the officer added.
"Many people in the city, including judges, have received such calls. The fraudsters operate from a city and seldom target people living in the same city or state. They tend to trap people living in other states. We have received such complaints and investigations have been launched to nab them," another officer said.
The police suspect that one gang is making all the calls. They might be asking for more information other than just the ATM pin. "The details of the investigations cannot be revealed," the officer said.
ATM and bank-related frauds are being increasingly reported from Patna.
On January 30, two members of a gang, who had been duping customers visiting ATMs, were arrested.
The gang was operating in many states and had duped customers of crores through a well-organised ATM-related racket.
One of the gang members had even opened his garment-manufacturing unit in Delhi with his share of the ill-gotten money. Some of the members possessed a lot of property and costly SUVs, the police said.
Raman Kumar, a businessman, said he had received a similar call a month back.
"I got a call early in the morning and they asked me the same thing," he said.
"I thought it was a better idea to disconnect the phone, as I was aware of such a fraud being in vogue. If a police officer can been duped, the matter is serious and a cause of concern. Anyone would get a shock and get confused if a call comes suddenly and the caller says that one's card is all set to be blocked."
HOW NOT TO BE A VICTIM
Never
♦ Share card or bank account details with anyone
♦ Trust e-mails that talk about winning millions or lakhs in lotteries or someone willing to share one’s wealth with you
Make sure
♦ No one else is present while you are at the ATM
♦ Pin code that you have typed has not been seen
Remember
♦ Banks will never ask for your ATM pin or CVV number
♦ After any transaction, press the “cancel” button of the ATM and keep changing the pin and Internet banking password frequently
