Representative image of cyber scam.
Credit: iStock Photo
Mangaluru: A woman from Kannur fell victim to a cyber fraud after losing her mobile phone during a train journey, resulting in the fraudulent transfer of nearly Rs 4 lakh from her bank account.
According to police, the complainant, a 41-year-old woman, was travelling by train from Kannur to Mangaluru Central Railway Station on August 16, when she lost her mobile phone. She immediately informed Canara Bank customer care and Jio customer service about losing the phone.
On August 18, when her brother called the missing number, the phone was answered by a man who identified himself as Rajesh. He claimed that the phone was found along the Salem–Coimbatore route and assured that he would hand it over to the Coimbatore Railway Police by 5:30 pm.
Believing his words, the complainant waited for his response, but when no update came, she lodged a missing phone complaint at Irrity Police Station, Kannur.
Later, after obtaining a new mobile handset and SIM card, she checked her Canara Bank account and found multiple suspicious transactions between August 16 and 18, totalling Rs 4,09,000. She immediately called the helpline (1930) and filed a complaint.
Further verification of her bank statement revealed that an unknown account had deposited Rs 1 lakh into her account and then withdrawn it in multiple transactions. In total, around Rs 4 lakh was siphoned off from her account.
Mangaluru South police have registered a case.