Karnataka cyber fraud: Man loses Rs 1 lakh while trying to recharge FASTag

Cyber fraud cases have been on the rise lately. In another case, a native of Brahmavara in Karnataka was duped of nearly Rs 1 lakh after he tried to recharge his FASTag account by calling the helpline number available on the net, according to a media report.

The man, named Francis Pius, was reportedly travelling from Brahmavara to Mangaluru in his four-wheeler when he realised that his FASTag balance was low. He was about to cross the toll plaza in Hejamady when he realised he needed to recharge his FASTag to pay for the toll.

FASTag is an electronic toll collection system, operated by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, FASTag is affixed on the windscreen of vehicles. They are prepaid rechargeable tags for toll collection.

While looking for a helpline number on the internet, Pius got a mobile number to which he lost Rs 99,997 in a total of five transactions.

The person on the phone introduced himself as a representative of Paytm FASTag and assured to help him, according to a report by The New Indian Express. The man asked Pius to share the one-time password (OTP) he received on his mobile phone. Pius followed the person's instructions and shared the OTP he received.

Within few minutes after following the instructions, Pius lost Rs 99,997. First, Pius received an SMS of Rs 49,000 being debited from his account. This followed transaction amounts of Rs 19,999, Rs 19,998, Rs 9,999 and Rs 1,000. In all, Pius lost Rs 99,997.

After he realised of the fraud, Pius registered a cyber fraud complaint at Udupi CEN police station. The scammer had asked him to download a suspicious mobile app and later, money got deducted from his account.

Udupi CEN police station inspector Manjunath told The New Indian Express that an investigation is on to find out to which bank account the money of the complainant has got transferred.

A case of cyber fraud was registered under sections- 66 (C), and 66 (D) of the IT Act.

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