Mumbai Crime: Juhu businessman duped of Rs 22 lakh in sim swapping fraud

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A 47-year old businessman from Juhu was duped of Rs 22 lakh in a sim swapping scam where cyber crooks obtain a duplicate SIM of an individual after getting hold of their personal data like full name, phone number, parents' names, email ID etc.

The businessman approached the cyber police station in BKC, claiming that fraudulent transactions totaling Rs 22 lakh was made from his account without his knowledge. In his statement, he told police that on August 4, his SIM was showing no network from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. "I then contacted the SIM card provider, complaining about a network issue, and I was informed that they had received a request about the loss of the SIM card and the services had been put off. I requested to start the service as I have not made any such requests. Later, I completed all formalities by sharing my credentials with the customer care executive," the complainant said in his statement.

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After his request, the SIM card services were resumed. The complainant also said that after his SIM card services were resumed, he received a recharge SMS of Rs 121, which he had not done. He also found various messages with verification codes for his Flipkart, BYJUS, and housing.com accounts. Explaining further about the loss of Rs 22 lakhs, the complaint said while scrolling further on his phone, he found that various transactions had taken place from his Bank of Baroda account to Canara Bank, IDFC Bank, AU Small Bank, and Union Bank. The amount was transferred to 6-7 different people by obtaining access to his accounts and SIM card, where the OTPs were sent by the bank.

Since the amount is more than Rs 10 lakh , the BKC cyber police station is probing the matter and an FIR has been registered under various sections of the IPC and IT act. "We are getting details of the money trail to get details of the beneficiaries. It appears that the amount has been transferred to multiple accounts and we are in the process of collecting those details." An officer of the cyber cell said.

The SIM swapping scam is an old technique, and many people have been duped using the same modus operandi not only in India but also abroad. Recently, there has been a rise in sim swapping cases and the USA's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also warned about the rising cases of sim swapping where fraudsters are pulling out lakhs of rupees from individuals' accounts.