Just a few days ago. Multiple shocking allegations came to light. What kind? Cyber fraudsters are snatching money in the blink of an eye from accounts of people at various levels across different parts of Uttar Pradesh. Yet the method doesn't follow any familiar pattern at all. That is, the victims neither received any OTP nor clicked on any suspicious link.
Yet in all cases, the allegation is that lakhs of rupees have been deducted from bank accounts even without falling into any known trap. Therefore, the police administration has sprung into action. So where is the mystery? Now questions have started arising about the overall security of the banking system, mobile number merging or SIM swap fraud, or the bank's accountability to customers at the fundamental level. Police have stated that if no evidence of customer negligence is found in the investigation, the bank's liability may be determined according to Supreme Court guidelines.
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But as soon as the investigation began, experienced officers of Uttar Pradesh Police gradually started unravelling the web of mystery bit by bit. Based on complaints registered with the cyber department over the past few days, investigators claim that fraudsters are using 'silent debit' tactics in this case. In this method, fraudsters often take control of the customer's registered mobile number through a call or SMS, merging/SIM-swapping. As a result, unauthorised transactions become possible without OTP or instant alerts. What is seen in many cases is that customers learned about the debit after receiving the bank's message an hour or so after everything had happened.
According to police sources, detailed forensic analysis of each incident is ongoing. When, where and how cyber fraudsters gained access to mobile numbers or accounts is being examined. The concerned banks have also started their own internal investigations after receiving complaints. However, what is believed in the preliminary investigation is that there is no fault on the customer's part in this case. As a result, banks initially take priority-based initiatives to refund money through insurance or their own security mechanisms. Although according to officials, the number of 'no-fault' cases is relatively low.
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Some recent incidents are as follows:
On January 24, ₹2.70 lakh was suddenly debited from a resident's account in the Delhi Gate area. Later, the matter came to light when a message arrived.
On January 26, a customer from Civil Lines lost ₹1 lakh in three online transactions.
In one incident, a total of ₹1.13 lakh was deducted from a credit card in two phases.
On January 7, ₹6.96 lakh disappeared from another account through online transfer.
About ₹3 lakh has been withdrawn in three instalments from a fixed deposit account.
Cyber experts advise to immediately inform the bank and cyber helpline upon seeing signs of suspicious calls, investment temptations or sudden app/network problems. There's no benefit in taking unnecessary risks. Set transaction limits on accounts, UPI and cards. Keep SIM-swap alerts active, and definitely don't respond to any messages from unknown groups or promising 'guaranteed profits'.
