A month before Durga Puja, scamsters in West Bengal target buyers’ credit cards
credit newsCybercrime units in the city have received complaints of credit card fraud, in which fraudsters are promising victims an increased credit card limit or a new zero-fee credit card as part of Durga Puja offers. The area primarily targeted by these criminals are women residing in areas like New Alipore, Netaji Nagar, and Ballygunge in south Kolkata.
A recent incident occurred in New Alipore, where a woman received a call from the fraudsters offering to extend the limit of her private bank credit card. She was asked to share her Aadhaar card number, which she initially refused. However, the fraudster persistently urged her and eventually convinced her to provide other card-related details. As a result, she lost Rs 68,000.
Law enforcement swiftly responded to the complaint and engaged the cybercrime team of the south division. They traced the account used for the fraudulent transaction and successfully prevented it. Within a few days, the victim’s entire loss was reimbursed into her account. Authorities remained vigilant to ensure no further illicit activities occurred in the account.
In the second incident, a woman from the Garia-Patuli area lost Rs 25,000 after receiving an unsolicited call from the private bank credit card unit. The caller subsequently sent her a credit card without her consent, and when the woman attempted to return it through online channels, she lost money in the process.
Another incident involved a 52-year-old widow residing in the Shyampukur area of north Kolkata. She lost Rs 1.5 lakh while trying to cancel a credit card issued in her name by a private bank. The bank now insists she must pay for the transactions made on the card, although she is free to contest the claims with the police. Currently, no recoveries have been made in either of these cases.
Both the city and state police have issued warnings to netizens, advising caution when sharing banking details on unverified or fake websites. They urge people not to solely rely on the internet, as there are numerous fraudulent websites designed to mimic legitimate ones.
A cyber cell officer at Lalbazar advises individuals to verify websites and wallets before making transactions involving their hard-earned money. They emphasize the importance of not trusting random callers.