3 min readMumbaiJun 2, 2026 06:50 PM IST
A 59-year-old section officer posted with the Central Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was duped of nearly Rs 7.5 lakh after cyber fraudsters lured him with the promise of a high-limit American Express credit card, hacked his mobile phone, and stole his banking credentials and OTPs.
According to police, the victim resides in Mumbai with his wife. The incident took place on May 19, when he was at his office in Bandra (East) and received a call from an unidentified person claiming to be a representative of a credit card company, offering a new card. The victim initially declined, stating that he had several credit cards but added that he would consider a new one if it had a higher credit limit.
The caller then offered an American Express credit card with a limit of up to Rs 7.5 lakh. To process the application, the fraudster sought details of the victim’s existing credit cards and residential address. Believing the offer to be genuine, the victim shared the information.
Later in the evening, the victim was shocked to discover multiple unauthorised transactions debited from his credit card accounts. According to police, the fraudsters used the cards to make purchases on various online shopping platforms.
During the investigation, police found that the accused had sent a web link along with two APK files to the victim through WhatsApp, claiming that the files were necessary to complete the credit card application process. The moment the victim downloaded the files, the fraudsters allegedly gained remote access to his mobile phone.
A police officer said the accused used an advanced technique by activating call and SMS forwarding on the victim’s device without his knowledge. As a result, all OTPs and verification messages for the fraudulent transactions were automatically redirected to a mobile number controlled by the fraudsters.
Realising that he had been cheated, the victim immediately contacted the customer care departments of both banks and got his credit cards blocked. He subsequently approached the BKC police station and lodged a complaint.
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Based on his statement, police registered a case of cheating and included relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. The BKC police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
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