Senior government official loses Rs 7 lakh to cyber fraudsters in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: A senior government official working in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) was duped of Rs 7 lakh by cyber fraudsters on October 15.
The victim, D Sridhar, who works as OSD in CMO, had searched for customer care numbers of a bank in an online search engine. He found a number and contacted the person who claimed to be an executive of the bank. The executive assured to help Sridhar with his problem.
However, the executive turned out to be a fraudster. He tricked Sridhar into revealing his bank details and OTP. On October 15, Sridhar found Rs 7 lakh debited from his bank account. He immediately complained on cyber crime helpline 1930.
The cyber crime police registered a case and are investigating. They have been able to stop the transaction of Rs 3 lakh, but the remaining Rs 4 lakh has already been transferred to the fraudsters’ account.
The police are urging people to be careful when searching for customer care numbers online. They should always visit the official website of the bank or company to get the correct contact information.
Tips to avoid cyber fraud:
- Never share your bank account details or OTP with anyone, even if they claim to be from a bank or other trusted organization.
- Be careful when clicking on links in emails or SMS messages. Always hover over the link to see the actual URL before clicking on it.
- Keep your software up to date. Software updates often include security patches that can help protect you from cyber attacks.
- Use a strong password manager to create and store unique passwords for all of your online accounts.
If you think you have been a victim of cyber fraud, report it to your bank and the police immediately.
