Ahmedabad Trader Loses ₹1.85 Lakh In Fake ICICI Bank Reward Points Scam

An Ahmedabad textile trader allegedly lost ₹1.85 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as ICICI Bank credit card representatives tricked him into sharing sensitive banking and personal information on the pretext of redeeming reward points.

An FIR has been registered at Kalupur Police Station, and police are investigating the alleged cyber fraud.

Woman Caller Offers To Redeem 4,000 Reward Points

The victim, Naranbhai Bhagwanji Purohit, who runs a textile business at Shriram Market opposite Kalupur Railway Station, reportedly received a call from a woman claiming to be from the ICICI Bank credit card department.

The caller allegedly told him that 4,000 reward points had accumulated on his credit card and offered to help him redeem them through an online process.

As part of the purported verification, the caller allegedly asked Purohit to send photographs of his PAN card and both sides of his ICICI Bank credit card via WhatsApp to a mobile number ending in 7988.

Victim Fills In Details On Fake Link

After receiving the documents, the caller allegedly sent him a WhatsApp link and instructed him to open it and complete an online form.

Believing the request to be genuine, Purohit allegedly entered several personal and financial details, including his name, mobile number, email address, date of birth, residential address, PIN code, Aadhaar and PAN numbers, credit card details and available credit limit.

He also entered a one-time password (OTP) received on his registered mobile number.

₹1.85 Lakh Debited In Two Transactions

The complainant said his mobile phone became unresponsive while he was submitting the form.

Soon afterwards, he received two transaction alerts from ICICI Bank stating that ₹1.50 lakh and ₹34,999 had been debited from his credit card.

The two transactions amounted to ₹1.85 lakh.

Realising that he had allegedly been duped, Purohit immediately contacted the bank's customer care helpline. Bank officials blocked his credit card to prevent any further unauthorised transactions.

Cyber Crime Helpline Complaint Filed

The incident was subsequently reported to the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930), following which an acknowledgement was generated.

As Purohit had travelled to Pune for work, his nephew, Kuldeep Kantilal Purohit, lodged the complaint at Kalupur Police Station on his behalf.

Police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning cheating and applicable sections of the Information Technology Act.

Police Trace Mobile Number, WhatsApp Link

Investigators are examining the mobile number allegedly used by the fraudsters, the WhatsApp link, banking transactions and other digital evidence to identify those behind the scam.

Police have also advised people not to share credit card details, PAN or Aadhaar information, OTPs or banking credentials with unknown callers claiming to represent banks or financial institutions.

Citizens have been advised to verify such claims directly with their bank through official customer care channels before responding to any request involving financial or personal information.