Noida man tries to 'redeem cash points' on credit card, loses Rs 4.5 lakh

Noida, July 8

A lucrative offer to redeem cash points on credit card cost a Noida resident dearly as he lost over Rs 4.5 lakh to cyber criminals who duped him by posing as bank representatives, according to police.

Two of the suspects, Gurmeet Singh and Surendra Singh — both residents of Delhi — were arrested by the Noida Cyber Cell on Thursday while two of their partners have been identified but are at large, police said.

The arrests were made after an FIR was lodged by Vishal Chaudhary at the Phase 2 police station in which he alleged a fraud of Rs 4.53 lakh with him.

“The complainant informed police that he had got a call from a person who identified himself as an official of his bank. The caller then told him about an offer to redeem points on his credit card purchases and expenses,” a police spokesperson said.

“The caller later directed Chaudhary to a hoax website and sought his credit card details, including confidential information, after which over Rs 4.5 lakh were transferred from the complainant’s account,” the spokesperson said, citing the complaint.

The accused told police that they had floated a hoax website, listing lucrative schemes for redeeming points on credit card purchases. They called up people by posing as bank officials in order to trap the gullible, the official said.

An FIR has been lodged under Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating) and under provisions of the Information Technology Act, police said.

Meanwhile, police have urged the general public to be cautious during online transactions and activities.

On noticing any cyber fraud, people can immediately report the matter at dedicated helpline number 1930 or 112, they said.