Ahmedabad Trader Loses ₹10.23 Lakh After Showing AMEX Card on WhatsApp Video Call

A 54-year-old businessman from Bodakdev, who runs an export business in Thaltej, allegedly lost ₹10.23 lakh after clicking on a bank advertisement on YouTube and subsequently showing his credit card to a fraudster during a WhatsApp video call.

The incident took place on September 4, when the accused allegedly posed as an HSBC Bank employee, obtained details of the victim’s American Express (AMEX) credit card during a video call and changed the card password before making transactions totalling ₹10,23,782.

After realising that he had fallen victim to a cyber fraud, the man approached the Cyber Crime Police Station and lodged a complaint.

Fraudster Promised Premium Credit Card Offer

The complainant, Jigneshbhai Jasbhai Patel, a resident of Bodakdev, has been using an American Express credit card for the past two years.

According to the complaint, Patel was watching videos on YouTube on the morning of September 4 when he came across an advertisement for an HSBC Bank credit card. After he clicked on the link, he received a call from an unknown number within a short time.

The caller allegedly claimed to be from HSBC’s credit card department and told Patel that a special premium credit card offer was available for AMEX cardholders.

Card Shown on WhatsApp Video Call

The fraudster allegedly initiated a WhatsApp video call on the pretext of processing the new card and asked Patel to show his AMEX card to the camera.

During the call, Patel allegedly showed the card from both the front and back. The accused is alleged to have obtained sensitive details including the card number, expiry date and CVV.

The fraudster then allegedly changed the credit card password through the system and gained access to the card.

₹10.23 Lakh Withdrawn Through Online Transactions

After gaining access to the card, the accused allegedly carried out multiple online transactions during the day and siphoned off a total of ₹10,23,782.

At around 8 pm, Patel received a call from American Express regarding suspicious transactions on his card. He then checked his emails and messages and discovered that large amounts had been debited from the account.

He immediately contacted the cybercrime helpline 1930 and subsequently filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police.

Box: Video Calls Become New Modus Operandi for Data Theft

Cyber fraudsters are increasingly using WhatsApp video calls instead of directly asking victims for OTPs, according to the complaint.

During video calls, fraudsters can allegedly use screen recording or high-resolution cameras to capture the 16-digit card number, expiry date and the three- or four-digit CVV printed on the back of a card.

The stolen information can then allegedly be used through international payment gateways or password-reset features to carry out unauthorised transactions, potentially without requiring an OTP.