Representative image of online fraud.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Bengaluru: A 22-year-old woman lost Rs 2.94 lakh after falling victim to an OTP scam, police officials said.
Based on a complaint by Sushma P (name changed), a college student in Central Bengaluru, the Central Crime, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police have registered a case.
The FIR stated that the woman received a phone call on April 3 from suspects claiming to be representatives of ICICI Bank. Sushma was informed that the call was from the bank’s credit card department and that she needed to upgrade a “protection plan” on her card to safeguard it.
Shortly after, the caller sent her a website link. Believing it to be genuine, she entered her credit card details and subsequently the OTP, unaware that she was being duped.
In multiple transactions, Rs 2.94 lakh was siphoned off from her credit card. When Sushma tried to call back, the number was found to be switched off.
The police have sought the bank’s assistance to trace the money trail, and further investigation is underway.