PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
What initially appeared to be a minor technical glitch with a mobile phone and is now suspected to be a possible SIM-swap fraud, turned into a financial nightmare for a 74-year-old Dehradun resident who lost Rs 94,000 from his bank account.
As per the complaint filed by Race Course resident Achalanand Chandola, his mobile phone suddenly switched off at around 2 PM on May 24. After a short while, the phone restarted on its own. At first, he did not suspect anything unusual. However, a few hours later, he received a message informing him that Rs 98,000 had been withdrawn from his bank account.
Chandola immediately contacted his bank which informed him that the money had been transferred through internet banking. The elderly man told police that he had not made any online transaction and had not shared any banking details with anyone. Investigators suspect that fraudsters may have gained access to his mobile number and used it to bypass banking security checks. Cyber experts say such cases are becoming more common, where criminals take control of a victim’s SIM card or mobile network services to access bank accounts and carry out unauthorised transactions.
The matter was first reported to the Cyber Crime police station and later transferred to Nehru Colony police station for further investigation.
How SIM-swap fraud works
DEHRADUN: Cyber experts say that in this scam, fraudsters obtain control of a victim’s mobile number by getting a duplicate SIM card issued in their name or by illegally transferring the number to another SIM. Once they gain control of the mobile number, they can receive OTPs and banking alerts linked to the victim’s account.
The sudden loss of network service or a phone becoming inactive is often one of the first warning signs of a SIM-swap attack. During this period, criminals may use internet banking facilities to transfer money from the victim’s account before the fraud is detected.
