Japanese national loses Rs 1.5 lakh to phishing scam

Bengaluru: A 49-year-old Japanese national has lost Rs 1.5 lakh in a phishing scam after clicking on a suspicious web link.

The FIR said Takeo Uno, director at Indo Nissin Foods on Lavelle Road, who was staying at a luxury hotel in Bengaluru, received a text message from an unknown number on December 4. The message instructed him to contact another number on WhatsApp to “reupdate” his bank account.

Uno engaged with the WhatsApp number and was asked to click on a web link provided to proceed. Believing the link to be legitimate, he complied. However, on December 5, Rs 1.5 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account in five unauthorised transactions.

Realising the fraud, Uno approached the police. Based on his complaint, the Cubbon Park police registered a case under sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology (IT) Act.