'Your Adani Gas Connection Will Be Cut': Ahmedabad Senior Citizen Duped of ₹3.96 Lakh in Online Fraud
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 60-year-old retired man from Ahmedabad’s Odhav area allegedly lost ₹3.96 lakh after fraudsters posing as Adani Gas officials threatened to disconnect his gas connection and lured him into an online verification process.
WhatsApp Message Followed By Video Call
The incident took place on August 27, when Ketanbhai Panchal was at home with his family.
His wife first received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number claiming that their household gas connection would be disconnected at night. When Panchal called the number, the call was reportedly cut.
He soon received a video call from another unknown number. The caller allegedly claimed to work for Adani Gas and told Panchal that his gas bill had not been uploaded.
The caller then told him that an immediate ₹13 online payment was required to prevent the connection from being disconnected.
Fraudsters Allegedly Got Access To Three Bank Accounts
Panchal was reportedly guided through an application on his mobile phone to make the payment.
When the transaction did not go through, the caller allegedly asked him to try another bank account. Panchal followed the instructions and entered the details of three bank accounts into the application.
The consequences became clear when debit alerts started arriving on his phone.
According to the complaint, ₹3.96 lakh was withdrawn from the three accounts.
Panchal then approached Odhav Police Station, where he filed a complaint against the unidentified persons.
Small Payment Used To Gain Victim’s Trust
Cyber fraudsters often use small payment requests as a way to persuade victims to follow instructions on their phones. In some cases, victims are directed to applications such as QuickSupport or AnyDesk, which can provide remote screen access.
Such access can potentially expose sensitive information displayed on the phone, including banking details and OTPs.
In Panchal’s case, the alleged fraud began with a warning about his gas connection and a ₹13 payment request, before the fraudsters allegedly obtained access to details linked to his three bank accounts.
