UPI Scare: Man Without Smartphone, Internet Robbed Of Rs 6.8 Lakh Via UPI; SIM-Swap At Work?
UPI Frauds and Scams are taking newer forms and newer shapes. Stay alert!
In a bizarre case of robbery, a man from Noida, UP was robbed of Rs 6.8 lakh, even though he didn’t have a smartphone.
Without any OTP or UPI app, how can robbers conduct this fraud? Was it SIM-swapping at work here?
Keep reading to find out more!
Rs 6.8 Lakh Robbed Via UPI Fraud
Mohan Lal, a 30-year-old man from Noida was shocked when he went to withdraw some cash from an ATM.
He discovered that fraudsters have siphoned-off Rs 6.8 lakh from his bank account, in the last three months, via 7 transactions.
Quite naturally, he was baffled and confused: Because he didn’t own any smartphone, and never ever shared his OTP or PIN with anyone.
He informed the police that he never received any SMS alert from the bank regarding this cash withdrawal, and he had no idea that the money was being robbed from his bank account.
However, he did have a UPI Id, but he hadn’t downloaded any app for what.
Then how can this robbery happen?
SIM Swap Led To This UPI Fraud
As per the police who has started the investigation, this robbery took place via UPI payment mechanism, even if the person didn’t have any smartphone.
The robbers must have duplicated his SIM Card and accessed UPI profile by simply pressing *99#.
Once they were aware of Mohan Lal’s UPI id, they simply transferred the funds from his account to their own, as all the OTPs and alert messages were received on this cloned SIM card.
Now, Mohan Lal didn’t receive any alert messages because his SIM was cloned, and most probably not working.
UPI Fraud Takes Many Shapes and Forms: Beware!
This is the second case related to SIM Swapping or SIM Cloning which we witnessed in the last few months.
Last month, Rs 95 lakh was stolen from a bank account, by cloning Airtel SIM card, and the almost the same methodology was employed. Once the SIM is cloned, then the original SIM doesn’t get any alerts or notification, as it becomes inactive.
In October, a mam contacted a fake call center which claimed to provide UPI assistance and was robbed of Rs 40,000.
Fake banking apps and fake banking websites have been stealing money from innocent users since ages, but this new trend of UPI fraud by SIM Cloning is indeed alarming.
Users are advised to keep checking their bank balance and bank details, in case they don’t receive any alerts for a long time.
In case you have any suggestions to improve UPI security and safety, then do share them right here.
Indian Banks Experience 1 Fraud Every Hour; Rs 1.6 Crore Loss Every Hour Recorded
