Pune senior citizen loses Rs 4.81 lakh after clicking pension card link sent on WhatsApp
A 70-year-old Pashan resident lost Rs 4.81 lakh after acting on a WhatsApp message offering pension card registration; a Kothrud woman was also cheated of Rs 59,400.
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Another case of cyber fraud has come to light in Pune. Cyber fraudsters are devising new methods every day, and senior citizens are now being targeted in particular. A 70-year-old man living in the Pashan area trusted a WhatsApp message sent in the name of pension card registration, and it cost him lakhs of rupees. Rs 4.81 lakh was taken out of his account.
According to the police, the complainant, Dilip Eknath Waikar (70, a resident of Pashan, Pune), received a message on WhatsApp between September 8 and 9, 2026. The message lured him with an offer to register a pension card.
Taken in by the message, Waikar opened the link and filled in all the confidential bank account details it asked for. As soon as he did so, he found that Rs 4.81 lakh had disappeared from his account without his knowledge. On realising he had been cheated, he went to the police immediately.
A case has been registered at Baner police station. The police are currently searching for the unknown accused with the help of the cyber cell.
In another incident, in the Kothrud area, a woman was cheated online of Rs 59,400 on the pretext of a doctor's appointment. Vinita Vinod Kulkarni (64, a resident of Gaurihar Society, Dhavi Bhusari Colony, Kothrud) was contacted on WhatsApp by an unknown person. He claimed to be calling from Ruby Hall hospital and promised her an appointment. She was defrauded financially on this pretext. A case has been registered at Kothrud police station.
To protect senior citizens from cyber fraud, it is important to remember five points. First, never click, even by mistake, on any unknown or suspicious link that arrives on WhatsApp, in a text message or on social media in the name of a pension, government scheme or lottery. Second, no government office, bank or pension department ever asks for your bank account number, password, PIN, ATM card details or OTP over the phone or through a link in a message, so do not share such confidential information with anyone.
Third, to avail of a government scheme or to register for one, go only to the official government website (.gov.in) of the department concerned, and do not trust any message directly. Fourth, if a tempting or suspicious message arrives on your mobile phone, show it to younger members of the family or to relatives and satisfy yourself before taking any step.
Fifth, if you are cheated despite precautions, do not panic. Call the cyber crime helpline 1930 immediately to file a complaint, or seek help on the www.cybercrime.gov.in portal.
