Hyderabad student falls for KBC phishing message, transfers Rs 50k
A class IX student became the latest victim of cyber fraud when he transferred Rs 50,100 after receiving a WhatsApp message that he has won a lottery in Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 April 2021 3:38 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A class IX student became the latest victim of cyber fraud when he transferred Rs 50,100 after receiving a WhatsApp message that he has won a lottery in Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
The boy received the message on his father's mobile phone which he was using to attend online classes and playing games,
The boy transferred the amount without his father's consent. When the family learnt that he was cheated, they approached the police. A cheating case has been registered at the Punjagutta police station.
Police said G Guna Shekar, a resident of Kummari Basthi, is studying in class IX. For attending online classes, he was using his father G Gopal Reddy's mobile.
On Friday, when the boy was using the mobile, he saw messages and calls on WhatsApp informing that they have won a lottery from KBC. The caller asked the boy, who answered the phone, to transfer Rs 50,100 to claim the lottery amount.
The boy without informing his father transferred the amount in three transactions, as per the directions received from the caller. Even after transferring the money, there was no sign of receiving the lottery amount.
Later his father found the money deducted from his account and confronted the child, who admitted to having transferred the money to unknown accounts as per the directions of the caller to claim the lottery amount. Based on his father's complaint, police registered a case and started investigation.
Police said Cyber fraudsters are looking for gullible people sending them phishing messages on Whatsapp and other messaging platforms. They also cautioned people about such messages and asked the parents to enable child lock facility on apps related to bank accounts and social media.
