Two retired Pune residents lose Rs 20.92 lakh in pension-linked cyber frauds

Two cyber frauds linked to pensions in Pune have cost an 83-year-old retired businessman and a 59-year-old retired principal a total of Rs 20.92 lakh. Police have once again appealed to the public, especially senior citizens, to be careful.

The first case involves Ashok Shantaram Deshmukh, 83, a resident of Dhayari, who was cheated of Rs 10.43 lakh. Cyber fraudsters allegedly hacked his mobile phone on the pretext of helping him update his life certificate, through an advertisement on Facebook.

In his complaint, Deshmukh said the fraud took place on October 6 between 6.30 pm and 8 pm. The fraudsters had run a Facebook advertisement titled "BOI Life Certificate Update for All Pensioners". They allegedly asked Deshmukh to fill in a form to upload his life certificate, and then gained access to his mobile phone and even his bank details.

Money was withdrawn from the complainant's Bank of India accounts through two RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) and 13 UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions. Deshmukh's accounts are at the bank's Navi Peth and Sinhagad Road branches. Police have registered a case against the unknown mobile phone user, the bank account holders, and those into whose accounts the money was sent or who were operating those accounts.

Atul Bhos, senior police inspector at Nanded City police station, said, "We are investigating the case. The case has been handed over to us by the cyber police station." The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 336(3), 340(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, along with Sections 43, 66, 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act. According to police, the investigation will focus on tracing the money trail, identifying the bank accounts that received the funds, and tracing those involved in the fraud.

The second case involves a 59-year-old retired principal from Baner, who lost Rs 10.49 lakh. An unknown person allegedly defrauded her on the pretext of helping her deposit money in the National Pension System (NPS).

Complainant Sneha Ravi Lalla told police that the fraudster sent a link to her mobile phone and said it would let her get the benefits of a pension scheme. The accused allegedly won her trust by offering to help with the process, and asked her to share her phone screen. According to the complaint, he also asked for her debit card details and PIN, which she gave. The fraudster then withdrew Rs 5 lakh from her NKGSB Bank account and Rs 5.49 lakh from her Canara Bank account through online transfers.

Chandrashekhar Sawant, senior police inspector at Baner police station, said, "We are investigating the mobile number from which the complainant was contacted and the transactions through which the money was sent." Details of the accounts that received the money and the identity of the accused are being verified.

Police have cautioned pensioners. Cyber fraudsters often target unsuspecting people through social media advertisements and messages about government services, pension payments and life certificate updates. Such advertisements can lead people to fake links or forms meant to gain access to sensitive bank information or their phones.

Police said pensioners should verify life certificate instructions only through the bank's official channels and government portals. They should not click on unknown links, and should not give bank details, OTPs or screen access to strangers.