Bengaluru Woman Loses ₹2 Lakh in Sophisticated IVR Bank Scam

A Bengaluru woman became the latest victim of a cyber scam on January 20, losing ₹2 lakh after falling prey to a sophisticated scheme involving a fake bank call. The woman received a phone call from a number resembling her nationalized bank, SBI, with the caller ID displaying the bank’s name. The automated message claimed a ₹2 lakh transfer was in progress from her account and prompted her to either confirm or dispute the transaction by pressing specific keys.

Caught off guard, the woman followed the instructions, selecting the option to deny the transfer. However, moments after the call ended, she received an alert that the ₹2 lakh had already been withdrawn from her account.

Realizing she had been scammed, the woman rushed to her bank, where officials advised her to report the incident to the cybercrime helpline 1930 and file a police complaint. The case was subsequently registered under the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 318 (cheating).

Cybercrime investigators are now probing whether this scam is part of an emerging trend. Unlike traditional IVR scams, where victims typically share banking details, this case raised suspicions that the fraudsters might have used a more advanced method to bypass security measures. Authorities are working to uncover if a new IVR-based scam technique is at play.

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