Fraud has been a part of human history for ages, but with the advent of the digital age, cybercriminals can rob people of their wealth within moments.
A similar incident occurred when a person lost their entire savings of millions within minutes, all due to the lure of a free mobile phone.
The incident took place in Bengaluru, India’s IT hub, where almost every second person is considered an IT expert. However, the same technology caused a man to lose INR 28 million (over PKR 90 million) just to get a free mobile phone.
According to Indian media reports, a 60-year-old man was duped by a fraudster who offered him a free phone, which he accepted. The scammer contacted the victim via WhatsApp, posing as a representative of CitiBank, and offered an enticing package.
The fraudster promised a new Redmi phone (worth INR 100,000) for free if the man purchased a SIM card. Without giving it much thought, the man accepted the offer. However, the phone provided had specific malware embedded, allowing hackers to access the victim’s mobile and other critical information.
Using these viruses, the fraudster managed to siphon off INR 28 million from the 60-year-old man’s account. The victim only realized he had been scammed when the bank contacted him to report a significant transfer from his account.
