Many lose money to suspected card-skimming in Bengaluru East

Residents suspect details compromised at Hennur ATM

A large number of people, mostly from eastern Bengaluru, have fallen prey to what they believe is a skimming scam.

T U George, (70) a resident of Geddalahalli from Hennur, received a message on his phone on Sunday night around 9.30 that Rs 10,000 was debited from his bank account. Half an hour later, he received another message stating that Rs 3,500 has been debited from his account. The elderly lecturer from Teacher’s Academy in Hennur on Monday morning approached the police from where he was directed to go to the cybercrime cell at the police commissioner’s office to register a complaint.

George was shocked to see around 60 people, a few of them his own neighbours from a nearby apartment complex, gathered there to register complaints. When he spoke to them, he learnt that there were people who lost Rs 20,000 to  Rs 1 lakh. “I spoke to many, and most of them from Hennur and Horamavu hinted that they suspect an Axis Bank ATM on Hennur main road from where they had withdrawn money, is where their card details including their PIN could have been skimmed and compromised using a device fitted in the ATM,” said George to DH.

The money started vanishing from the victims’ bank accounts as the culprits started withdrawing it from several ATMs across the city – a few of them were from Indiranagar, Madiwala and Koramangala. On Sunday, there were around eight complaints registered by individuals with the cybercrime cell and on Monday, more than 18 complaints were registered, said police sources. Most of the illegal transactions happened during Saturday and Sunday, they added. “We have registered the complaints and are looking into them,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (East Zone), Hemant Nimbalkar.