Man duped of Rs 95,000 after contacting bogus toll-free number to service water purifier

A 52-year-old man from this southern Kerala district lost Rs 95,000 after being duped by cyber fraudsters while trying to service his water purifier after contacting an online toll-free number, police said on Thursday.

According to the police, the incident occurred on August 23 when the complainant searched online for the customer care number of a reputed water purifier company.

He found a toll-free number and dialed it, unaware that it was a bogus number, police said.

He was assured that a company representative would soon be in touch with him.

Later the same day, he received a call from someone claiming to be a company executive, who instructed him to activate the service facility by downloading an app via a link sent to his phone, a police officer said.

“As directed, the victim installed the application, which turned out to be a remote access app. Soon after installation, three unauthorised UPI transactions were made from his account, resulting in a loss of Rs 95,000,” a police officer said.

Investigators found that the toll-free number had been posted online by cyber fraudsters.

According to police, the remote access app allowed the fraudsters to control the victim’s phone and initiate transactions.

Based on the complaint, Pathanamthitta Cyber Police Station registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act on Tuesday.

Police officials said that efforts are underway to trace the accounts where the money was transferred and recover the amount.

“There have been multiple such incidents across the country where fake customer care numbers are posted online. The public must ensure that contact details are taken only from authentic company websites. With festive season purchases increasing, customers should be extra cautious as installation works are now carried out after contacting customer care numbers,” the officer added.