A 51-year-old employee of a private firm residing in HRBR Layout has fallen victim to a cyber fraud and lost ₹6.79 lakh after allegedly clicking on a fake RTO e-challan link received through WhatsApp.
A case has been registered at the East CEN Police Station, and an investigation is underway to trace the fraudsters behind the scam.
WhatsApp message posed as traffic challan
According to the complaint, the victim received a WhatsApp message on June 16 from mobile number +91 6377676697. The message purportedly informed him about a pending RTO e-challan and contained a link for further action.
Believing the message to be genuine, the victim clicked on the link and followed the instructions provided.
Police suspect that the link was part of a phishing operation designed to gain access to the victim’s banking credentials, personal information or mobile device.
Fraudsters siphoned off ₹6.79 lakh
Soon after interacting with the fraudulent link, unauthorised transactions were allegedly carried out from the victim’s bank account.
By the time the victim realised he had been duped, a total of ₹6.79 lakh had reportedly been transferred from his account.
He subsequently approached the police and filed a complaint.
Police urge caution
Cybercrime investigators have urged citizens to exercise caution while opening links received through SMS, WhatsApp or email, especially those claiming to be from government departments or financial institutions.
Officials advised the public to verify traffic challans only through official government portals and avoid downloading applications or sharing sensitive information through unknown links.
With cyber frauds becoming increasingly sophisticated, police have reiterated the importance of checking the authenticity of messages before taking any action.
The investigation is ongoing.