KIMS doctor loses Rs 1 lakh in e-mail fraud

A senior doctor from the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) was duped of Rs 1 lakh by a conman who hacked her colleague's e-mail and sought "urgent financial help".

Dr Lakshmi Pandit, Head, Department of Psychiatry, transferred the money by NEFT to a bank account given by the conman on October 21. She was so anxious to help her colleague she didn't even speak to her before sending the money.

It was only after she did speak to her that she realised the cheating. The colleague said her e-mail account was hacked. The conman had sent similar requests to other friends.

Following a complaint by Dr Pandit on Monday, VV Puram police opened a case under the Information Technology Act. They said they were trying to trace the conman through his IP address and the bank account where the money was transferred.