Udupi: A 41-year-old man has lodged a police complaint alleging fraudulent misuse of a credit card issued in his name, resulting in a loss of Rs 2 lakh. The complainant stated that he had neither applied for nor activated the card and that the entire credit limit was used online on the very day it was delivered.
According to the complaint, Satish, a resident of the city, holds a savings account with a private sector bank. He told police that on November 10, 2025, at around 3.08 pm, he received a credit card through a courier service. Since he had not applied for the card, he did not activate it and did not generate the PIN, keeping it unused.
Discrepancy noticed during bank visit
The alleged fraud came to light when Satish later visited the bank for personal work and checked his mobile banking application. During the review of his account and linked products, he noticed irregularities related to a credit facility.
He immediately alerted bank officials and sought clarification. Bank staff informed him that a credit card with a limit of Rs 2 lakh had been issued in his name and that the entire limit had already been utilised through online transactions.
Surprised by the disclosure, the complainant requested a detailed statement of the credit card transactions for verification.
Entire limit used on day of delivery
On examining the credit card statement, it was found that on the same day the card was delivered, a total of Rs 2 lakh had been transferred through an online transaction to an entity listed as Sectormark IT Solution, Thane Departmental Store.
The complainant told police that he had not carried out any transaction using the card and had not shared card details, PIN or authentication credentials with anyone. He maintained that he never activated the card after receiving it.
Based on preliminary understanding, he suspects that unknown persons may have fraudulently obtained a one-time password (OTP) or other verification credentials linked to the card and used them to carry out the online transaction without his knowledge.
Possible OTP compromise suspected
Investigators are looking into the possibility of OTP compromise or unauthorised digital access. In many card fraud cases, criminals use phishing, SIM swap, malware, or social engineering methods to intercept OTPs and transaction alerts.
Police said they will seek transaction logs, IP details, merchant records and authentication trails from the bank and the payment gateway involved in the transfer. The role of intermediaries and the beneficiary account receiving the funds will also be examined.
Officials added that the timing — full utilisation of the credit limit on the very day of card delivery — is a key factor under scrutiny.
Case registered under BNS and IT Act
Based on the complaint, Town Police have registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which relates to cheating and fraud, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating by personation using computer resources.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the transaction trail and identify those responsible for the alleged misuse. Notices may be issued to the bank, courier agency and the merchant entity named in the transaction for supporting documents and verification.
Advisory to bank customers
Cybercrime investigators advise bank customers to closely monitor SMS and email alerts related to card issuance and transactions. Any card delivered without request should be immediately reported and formally blocked.
Customers are also advised not to share OTPs, card details or login credentials with anyone and to enable transaction alerts on all banking products. Prompt reporting often improves the chances of fund tracing and dispute resolution.
Authorities said more details will emerge as the digital and financial audit progresses in the case.