Trichy: Two residents of Trichy have allegedly lost a combined Rs 12.6 lakh in separate cyber fraud incidents involving a fake traffic challan link and an impersonation attempt targeting a retired employee’s pension documentation.
In the first incident, a 40-year-old man received a WhatsApp message on October 31, claiming that an e-challan was pending against him for a traffic violation. Although he opened the link, he did not pursue the matter further. However, the following day, he discovered that Rs 3.3 lakh had been siphoned from his bank account through several transactions.
In a separate case, a 61-year-old retired BHEL employee was allegedly cheated of Rs 9.2 lakh after responding to a Facebook advertisement related to his bank’s life certificate submission process.
The man had submitted an online request to obtain a digital life certificate for pension purposes. On November 1, he received a call from an unidentified individual claiming to represent a nationalised bank. The caller instructed him to access his mobile banking application to complete the pension-related verification process.
Soon after the victim opened the application, the caller disconnected the call. The victim subsequently discovered that multiple unauthorised transactions had resulted in Rs 9.2 lakh being withdrawn from his account.
Both victims have registered complaints through the online cybercrime reporting platform.
The Trichy City Cyber Crime Police Unit has taken up the investigation into both incidents. The cases highlight how fraudsters exploit routine digital services, including traffic challans and pension documentation, to deceive unsuspecting individuals and gain access to their banking accounts.
