Police recover ₹2.22 lakh from cyber fraud victim within two days of theft

Chittoor district cyber cell police have returned ₹2.22 lakh to a fraud victim from Somala village after freezing the money within two days of the incident.

The victim received a message from an unknown sender stating, "A fine of ₹1,000 has been imposed on your tractor". Opening the link installed a fake app named 'mParivahan' on his phone, and minutes later ₹2,22,054 was debited from his ICICI credit card.

Swift response key to recovery

The victim contacted ICICI customer care and lodged a complaint with the 1930 cybercrime helpline immediately after discovering the fraud. Chittoor District Cyber Cell police halted the banking transactions and recovered the full amount.

Superintendent of Police Tushar Dudi credited the outcome to the victim's prompt action. "Thanks to the prompt response of the police and the victim filing a complaint immediately after the crime, the entire amount of ₹2,22,054 was recovered and returned to the victim within just two days," he said.

Every second counts in cyber fraud cases

Tushar Dudi said that in cyber crimes every second is crucial. "Victims should not panic after falling prey to cyber fraud; instead, they should call the 1930 cybercrime helpline without any delay," he said.

If a complaint is lodged immediately after money is transferred to fraudsters' accounts, the chances of freezing the amount and recovering the victim's money increase significantly, he said.

The SP cautioned against opening messages, links, APK files or suspicious apps received from strangers. Even messages claiming to be from official organisations should be opened only after verifying their authenticity, he said.

Source: The Hindu