Hyderabad:The State Bank of India staff of Mahbubnagar’s Clock Tower Branch on Thursday saved a customers from ‘digital arrest’ and cyberfraud.
G. Rama Krishna, AGM (communications), SBI, said that M. Anitha, senior associate, received a request from a customer at 11 am seeking RTGS transfer of `4.2 lakh from his account. Anitha asked the customer for purpose of the transfer. The customer appeared tense, worried and kept murmuring.
The staff took him to chief manager Shushma Indla, who was not able to speak properly and pointed towards the mobilephone in his shirt pocket. The chief manager suspected something amiss, and it was revealed after inquiry that the customer was a victim of ‘digital arrest’ via a WhatsApp video call.
Playing for time, the chief manager asked the customer for KYC documents. The branch manager meanwhile called the One Town police who reached the bank in 10 minutes. After a preliminary enquiry, they took the customer to the cyber cell office where cyberpolice officials spoke to the fraudster over the telephone and lodged a complaint.
The customer finally realised that he was under cyber-attack and digital arrest. The customer came back to the bank branch and thanked the SBI staff for averting the fraudulent transaction and saving his hard earned money.
