40 bank customers lose lakhs in 3 days. They had just clicked on a link

At least 40 customers of a private bank in Mumbai were cheated of lakhs of rupees within three days after they clicked on a link sent via fake text messages to update their KYC and PAN details.

The Know Your Customer (KYC) process is mandatory for bank customers to verify their identity.

In an advisory, Mumbai Police has cautioned citizens against clicking on such links asking bank customers for their confidential details.

Fraudsters are sending such fake SMS with phishing links to the customers stating that their bank account is blocked for not updating their KYC/ PAN card details, according to the advisory .

Such links direct the customers to a fake website of their bank where they are asked to enter their customer ID, password, and other confidential details.

Among the 40 victims who have reported the alleged frauds was TV actor Shweta Menon.

In her complaint, Menon said last Thursday she had clicked on a link from the fake text message, believing it was from her bank. On the portal that opened, she entered her customer ID, passwords, and OTP.

She said she also received a phone call from a woman posing as a bank official, who asked her to insert another OTP she received on her mobile number. Following this, ₹ 57,636 was debited from her account.