We are often warned against answering calls from unknown numbers, but who knew that one needs to beware of missed calls.
A businessman, based in Mumbai, lost Rs 1.86 crore because of six missed calls in a SIM swap fraud.
The victim who has identified himself as V Shah on the night of December 27-28, between 11 pm and 2 am, received 6 missed calls, all starting from +44.
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Assuming that the calls were from the UK, he called back in the morning and to his surprise, his SIM card was deactivated.
He was told by the mobile service provider that the SIM was de-activated based on his own request for a new SIM, reports Mumbai Mirror.
On suspecting fraud, he visited his bank branch where he learnt that Rs 1.86 crore was syphoned out of his company’s account. He found out that the money was transferred to 14 accounts through 28 transactions across the country.
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“My company’s bank account is linked to my mobile phone, but never in my wildest of dreams did I imagine that the cheats will empty out my account with such ridiculous ease,” Shah, who runs a textile firm is quoted saying by Mumbai Mirror.
An FIR has been filed by the BKC Cyber Crime Police Station under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 419 (impersonation) and 34 (criminal act done by several people in furtherance of common intention) and sections 43 (damage to computer system) and 66D (impersonation) of the Information Technology Act.
According to the police, the hackers could have obtained this data using malware. Every time you access unsecured Web connections or open phishing emails, data is accessed by scamsters. This could have been the case, the police said.