Udupi: A resident of Udupi has allegedly been cheated of ₹3.73 lakh after falling victim to a cyber fraud involving a fake Facebook advertisement promoting a pension card scheme.
According to police, the victim clicked on the fraudulent advertisement believing it to be genuine. The scamsters then contacted him and convinced him to share confidential banking information on the pretext of processing the pension card application.
Fraudsters gained access to bank account
Investigators said the victim was asked to provide personal and banking details after responding to the Facebook advertisement. Soon afterwards, unauthorised transactions were carried out from his bank account, resulting in a loss of ₹3.73 lakh.
A complaint has been registered, and police have launched an investigation to trace those behind the cyber fraud. Authorities are also examining the bank accounts used in the transactions.
Police urge public to stay alert
Cybercrime officials have advised the public to exercise caution while responding to advertisements or links on social media that promise special pension cards, banking benefits or government schemes.
People have been urged not to click on suspicious links, download unknown files or share sensitive information such as bank account details, OTPs, PINs or passwords with anyone over phone calls or social media.
Officials also recommend verifying such offers only through the official websites or customer care channels of banks and government agencies before taking any action