Fake ₹2,000 Traffic Challan Message Costs Ahmedabad Man ₹99,149 In Cyber Fraud
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 41-year-old sales assistant from Vejalpur allegedly lost ₹99,149 after clicking a link in a fake traffic challan message received on WhatsApp, leading to the installation of a malicious application on his mobile phone, police said.
The complainant, Zubair Rafiqbhai Sheikh, approached Vejalpur police after discovering that ₹79,149 had been withdrawn from his Bank of Baroda account and another ₹20,000 had been charged to his Axis Bank credit card.
Fake Challan Message Sent On WhatsApp
According to the complaint, Sheikh received a WhatsApp message around 10.28 pm on August 6 claiming that a ₹2,000 traffic challan had been issued for his Suzuki Burgman scooter.
The message contained a link to an application. Believing it to be genuine, Sheikh clicked on the link, following which an application was installed on his mobile phone.
The application then prompted him to make a payment of ₹1. Sheikh allegedly attempted the payment five times using UPI, but each transaction appeared to have failed.
He subsequently deleted the application as well as the WhatsApp conversation containing the message.
₹79,149 Withdrawn From Bank Account
Two days later, on August 8, Sheikh was at home with his wife when he began receiving multiple OTP messages on his mobile phone.
He checked his Bank of Baroda account and found that two transactions — ₹50,000 and ₹29,149 — had been carried out without his knowledge.
He immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline, 1930, and reported the suspected fraud. He also received an acknowledgement number from the cybercrime reporting system.
Another ₹20,000 Charged To Credit Card
The complainant later discovered that his Axis Bank credit card had also been used without authorisation.
On August 22, he received a notification showing two transactions of ₹10,000 each on the credit card.
With the bank withdrawals and credit card transactions combined, Sheikh's total loss came to ₹99,149.
Police Probe WhatsApp Link, Digital Trail
Sheikh told police that an unidentified person had sent the fraudulent traffic challan message and allegedly used the malicious link to gain access to his financial information and carry out unauthorised transactions.
Vejalpur police have registered a case against an unidentified accused and launched an investigation.
Investigators are expected to examine the digital trail, bank and card transaction details, mobile number and the link used to send the fake challan message in an attempt to identify the person behind the fraud.
The case highlights how fake traffic-violation messages can be used to lure victims into installing malicious applications and subsequently target their banking and payment credentials.
