Karnataka: Retired bank employee loses Rs 21 lakh after clicking on deceptive ad

Udupi: A retired bank employee from Tallur in Kundapur taluk was duped of over Rs 21 lakh after clicking on a deceptive Facebook advertisement.

In a complaint, H Raghuram Shetty (72) said he saw an advertisement on Facebook on November 28 claiming to offer special cards and benefits for retired nationalised bank employees. He clicked on the link provided in the post. On November 29, Shetty received a call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as an officer from a bank branch at Gujarat, and referred to the Facebook link Shetty had clicked the previous day. He convinced the complainant to apply for the said “benefit card” by entering his bank details, mobile number, email address and other personal information.

Trusting the caller, the complainant filled in all the details and even shared the bank OTP with the unknown person. Soon after, a total of Rs 21,28,055.86 was fraudulently transferred from the complainant’s bank account in four different transactions. Realising he had been cheated, Shetty filed a complaint at the CEN Station. A case has been registered under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).