Lakkasandra Doctor Scammed Of Rs 1.7 Lakh By Fake Customer Care Agent

A Bengaluru-based doctor residing in Lakkasandra in Wilson Garden was scammed of Rs 1.7 lakh after dialing a fake customer care number he found on the internet. The cyber fraud took place after the doctor tried to cancel a home-cleaning service booking.

According to the police complaint, the victim, Dr. Imtiaz Zafar, had booked a home-cleaning service using the Urban Company mobile application. The service worker assigned to the task was expected to arrive at Dr. Zafar’s residence at 9:15 AM on June 7.

When the worker did not show up by 11 AM, the doctor decided to cancel the service. He searched the internet to find the company's customer care number and dialed a mobile number that was displayed online.

The call was received by a man who identified himself as Rakesh Sharma, claiming to be a legitimate customer care executive for the company. After Dr. Zafar requested a cancellation of his booking, the fraudster manipulated the situation. He instructed the doctor to follow a series of steps, which allowed the fraudster to gain unauthorized access to Dr. Zafar's banking-linked digital payment application.

Using this access, the fraudster carried out several unauthorized transactions from the doctor's bank account. The fraudulent transactions took place over a period of three days, between June 8 and June 10, resulting in a total loss of Rs 1.7 lakh.

Dr. Zafar did not realize he had been defrauded until June 12, when he discovered the missing funds. He quickly contacted the cyber helpline to report the theft and filed an initial complaint.

The doctor later approached the Adugodi police to lodge a formal complaint. The Adugodi police have registered a case under the Information Technology Act and are investigating the matter.