Mumbai, December 30: A 64-year-old woman from Juhu, Gita Shenoy, was duped of Rs 4.4 lakh by cyber scammers who tricked her into downloading the AnyDesk app while attempting to book air tickets to Dubai. The culprits replaced the legitimate contact number on the Skyscanner website with their own, leading Shenoy to unknowingly contact the fraudsters.
Posing as a representative from Skyscanner, the scammer instructed Shenoy to download the AnyDesk app on her mobile phone. Shenoy, unaware of the fraud, complied and granted the scammer remote access to her device. Taking advantage of this access, the fraudster quickly executed transactions, siphoning off Rs 4.4 lakh from Shenoy’s bank account.
Upon discovering the unauthorized transactions, Shenoy immediately reported the incident to the Juhu police, who promptly registered an FIR against the unidentified fraudsters. The police investigation has uncovered a common tactic employed by cybercriminals, which involves exploiting Google’s online mobile number change option. This revelation raises concerns about potential security gaps that scammers may exploit to gain unauthorized access to accounts.
The Juhu police are actively working to trace the fraudsters and gather information about the bank accounts used for the fraudulent transfers. Victims of online fraud are advised to exercise caution and verify contact details directly from trusted sources.
