A woman in Mangaluru was swindled out of ₹7.76 lakh after falling victim to a fraudulent online lottery scam falsely associated with the popular television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
According to her complaint, the incident began on May 23 when she encountered a KBC-related post while browsing Facebook. Upon clicking the attached link, she submitted personal information as prompted.
On May 27, she received a call from an individual claiming to be Sanjeev Kumar, allegedly from the KBC office in Delhi. He informed her that she had won a cash prize of ₹8 lakh. To initiate the process, he asked for her Aadhaar number, PAN card, and photograph, which she submitted via WhatsApp.
The scamster subsequently demanded money under the guise of registration, TDS deductions, and processing fees, assuring her that the amounts would be reimbursed with the prize money. Trusting these claims, the woman transferred ₹7.76 lakh through multiple transactions using Google Pay, spread between May 27 and July 19.
When the promised prize never materialised and the caller became unreachable, she realised she had been conned. She then filed a complaint with the Urva Police Station, where a case has been registered. Authorities have begun an investigation into the online scam.
Police have urged the public to remain vigilant and verify any claims of lottery wins, especially those requiring personal data or payments in advance.