An elderly New Alipore resident who answered a call from an unknown number, in which the caller claimed to be from his bank and offered an easy way to complete KYC formalities over WhatsApp, later found that fraudulent transactions of around ₹4 lakh had been made using his credit card.

The caller allegedly secured remote access to his phone and obtained his banking details.

Two days later, the 79-year-old doctor lamented: “I cautioned everyone against reacting to such calls, but I myself was led into the trap” by glib-talking fraudsters.

“I was in the washroom when I received the call. The man said he was calling from a bank where I had an account. He said it was a call to
update my KYC. I was about to disconnect, saying I would contact my relationship manager. But the man said these things take only a few minutes if done right away,” he told Metro.

The caller continued speaking and soon switched to a video call. “When I realised it was a video call, I noticed that my face was visible on the screen, but the caller’s was not. I followed his instructions and shared a few details. Then he asked for my card details, which he said were necessary to update KYC,” the doctor said.

He was allegedly made to download a file on his phone. Some time later, he realised that several transactions had been made from his account.

KYC (know your customer) is a routine banking exercise in which customers’ identity details are periodically verified and updated.

According to the complaint he lodged with New Alipore police station on Friday, the fraudsters made four transactions using his credit card details and siphoned off ₹4 lakh. The case has been transferred to the cyber cell of Kolkata Police’s south division.

“I have also reported the matter to the bank; they told me I will have to make the credit card payment, even though the transactions were fraudulent. I refused and will contest the claim,” the doctor said.

An officer said an inquiry had been launched: “We are contacting the bank to trace the channel through which the amount was transferred.”

The police suspect the file the elderly man downloaded on his phone contained malware that gave the fraudsters remote access to the device. After that, they could see what he was doing on his phone and direct him to press specific buttons on the screen.