Bengaluru: An 82-year-old man from Bengaluru was allegedly cheated of ₹3.49 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and tricked him into downloading a fake mobile application under the pretext of voter verification.
The victim, R. Parthasarathy, a resident of Rustum Bagh in east Bengaluru, received a phone call from an individual claiming to be an ECI official.
Fraudsters used fake voter verification claim
According to police, the caller informed Parthasarathy that verification of his Special Intensive Revision (SIR) form was pending and needed to be completed immediately to avoid issues with his voter registration.
The fraudster allegedly asked him to pay a ₹5 processing fee and instructed him to download a fake mobile application to complete the verification process.
When the payment reportedly failed, the caller sent a QR code via WhatsApp, claiming it was necessary to complete the procedure.
Fake app gave scammers access to banking details
Police said the fraudulent application and QR code enabled the scammers to gain access to the victim’s mobile phone and banking information.
The fraudsters allegedly carried out unauthorised transactions using his credit card, siphoning off ₹3.49 lakh from his account.
After discovering the fraud, Parthasarathy approached the Jeevan Beema Nagar Police and also reported the incident through the National Cyber Crime Helpline.
Police urge public to stay alert
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.
Police have advised the public not to download applications or scan QR codes sent by unknown callers claiming to represent government agencies. Citizens have also been urged to verify such requests only through official channels and avoid sharing banking or personal information over phone calls.
The incident serves as another reminder of the growing sophistication of cyber frauds targeting senior citizens and unsuspecting individuals across the country.