Techie loses ₹2.9 lakh in fake credit card protection plan scam

Cyber fraudsters allegedly cheated a 28-year-old techie from Koramangala of ₹2.9 lakh by offering a fake “protection plan” for his credit cards.

According to the complaint , the victim owned two credit cards issued by a private bank.

The victim received a call from an unknown person and the caller initially claimed that reward points on the credit cards were about to expire and later offered to activate a protection plan for the cards. To process the request, the accused allegedly sent a link and instructed the victim to download a mobile application.

Believing the caller to be a genuine bank representative, the techie downloaded the app and followed the instructions. Soon after, ₹2,91,800 was fraudulently withdrawn from his credit cards through multiple transactions without his knowledge.

Upon realising the unauthorised debits, the victim approached the police and filed a complaint. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Efforts are on to trace the fraudsters.

The police have urged the public not to download applications from unknown links or share sensitive banking details, including OTPs and card information, over phone calls.