62-year-old Thaltej Businessman Loses ₹8.26 Lakh in Gas Bill Scam After Sharing Screen During WhatsApp Call
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 62-year-old businessman from Thaltej lost ₹ 8.26 lakh in an online scam after fraudsters posing as Adani Gas officials tricked him into sharing his phone screen during a WhatsApp video call.
The scammers claimed that his gas connection would be disconnected over an unpaid bill and sent him a link and an APK file under the pretext of updating his gas bill and unlocking his meter.
The fraudsters subsequently obtained details of his ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank credit cards and carried out 22 transactions, siphoning off ₹ 8.26 lakh.
Fake Gas Disconnection Message
On September 21, Sanjaybhai Dave, who lives at Trishala Kutir Bungalows on Thaltej-Zydus Hospital Road, received a message on his iPhone from an unknown number.
The message, purportedly from Adani Gas, claimed that his gas connection was liable to be disconnected because of an outstanding bill from the previous month. It asked him to contact a customer care number.
Soon afterwards, Dave received another WhatsApp message from a number displaying the Adani Gas logo. The message contained an APK file named ‘Adani Gas Bill Update Side .apk’ along with a Google Form link.
Dave, who runs K.K. Polymers, a plastic granules trading business at Mondal Heights near ISKCON Crossroads, was then contacted through a WhatsApp video call.
Fraudsters Keep Screen Sharing Active
During the call, the fraudster told Dave that his gas meter had been locked and that he needed to click the link and make a payment to unlock it.
Dave opened the link, which took him to an online form. He entered his ICICI Bank credit card number, validity details and CVV as instructed.
The fraudster kept Dave's phone screen-sharing feature active during the process, allowing the scammer to see information appearing on his device.
Soon, Dave began receiving messages about money being deducted from his credit card and OTP notifications. When he questioned the fraudster, he was told that the messages were being generated because he was connected to the online system.
The scammer then asked Dave to use another card, claiming that the first card was not receiving approval. Dave entered his HDFC Bank credit card details into the form as well.
22 Transactions Drain ₹ 8.26 Lakh
The WhatsApp video call continued for around an hour, during which the fraudsters carried out 22 transactions.
According to the complaint, 20 transactions were made using Dave's ICICI Bank credit card, while two were made using his HDFC Bank credit card. Together, the transactions amounted to ₹ 8.26 lakh.
Dave realised he had been cheated only after receiving a call from HDFC Bank about suspicious transactions.
He immediately had both credit cards blocked and contacted the cybercrime helpline on 1930.
The Cyber Crime Police subsequently registered a case and began an investigation into the fraud.
Earlier this week, a similar case was reported where a man from Hathijan area allegedly lost ₹2.04 lakh after a fraudster posing as an Adani Gas official sent an APK file on WhatsApp to update his gas bill.
