Rs 44 lakh stolen from bank accounts using fake SIM in Thrissur | online bank
Thrissur: Rs 44 lakh was swindled from bank accounts in the name of a private finance company in Puthukkad here. The fraudsters created fake SIM cards of the company manager for swindling the amount. They transferred the amount online using the fake SIM. The amount was withdrawn in 10 instalments from two bank accounts in SBI and South Indian Bank branches in Puthukkad.
Investigation is progressing focused on the bank accounts from which the money was withdrawn. The police said that they have collected clues about the culprits. The amount was lost on October 30 and 31 from Jharkhand, Delhi, Kolkata and Assam. Rural district police chief R Viswanath, DYSP C R Santhosh and Puthukkad inspector T N Unnikrishnan are in charge of the probe.
The fraudsters used virtual SIM card (e-SIM) for swindling money. Virtual SIM is used in modern technology-based expensive phones. The software based SIM can be used in two phones simultaneously. This also can be used in smart watches. The use of virtual SIM for online frauds was noticed only recently.
The fraudsters obtain OTP number of bank account holder and take virtual SIM without the knowledge of the owner. Once the SIM is obtained, they can withdraw money from the accounts easily. The only possible precaution is not to respond to unknown calls and messages seeking OTP.
Read More: Rs 44 lakh stolen from bank accounts using fake SIM in Thrissur | online bank