Ingenious online ATM thefts on the rise in Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: Fraudsters are  resorting to ingenious methods  to cheat the gullible online and through the ATM.  Such cases have been on the increase in Kozhikode of late.  In November, a man applied for a job in Abu Dhabi and the agents sent him his visa and air ticket online. Later, they  asked him  to remit Rs 85,000 in two installments.

On the date of journey, when he reached the airport, the emigration officials told  him that the visa and the ticket had been cancelled. The victim submitted a complaint to  the city police commissioner, who directed the case to the Kunnamangalam police station. The accused, Thaeemul Alam and Rahan Khan, brothers from Murshidabad, were arrested on April 27 and are out on bail.

The maximum penalty for the crime, which comes under cheating, is a fine of Rs 3 lakh. But most online fraudsters manage to escape the police net. A bank customer lost Rs 60, 143 from his account   in a gap of four days for railway ticket reservation. Some cheats pose as bank officials over phone and obtain PIN and OTP from the account holder .

City police commissioner Uma Behra said that even educated people were falling prey to the fraud. “We are repeatedly giving advertisements about the online theft. People have to be more alert. No bank seeks the customers’ PIN number and such other details.  Most of the cheats operate from outside the state which is a major challenge for us. That is why more time is taken in arresting the accused,” said Ms Behra.

Some persons have also lost their ATM cards and amounts as high as '3 lakh were withdrawn for online purchases. While the number of cases in Kozhikode was just seven last year, it has reached 12 in the first four months this year, according to the statistics from the District Crime Records Bureau.