BITS Pilani professor loses Rs 2.56 lakh after his SIM card is hacked

SURAT: In a first-of-its-kind cheating reported in the city, a professor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, became a victim of SIM card hacking and lost Rs 2.56 lakh in the process. The professor was cheated during his stay in the city on Monday. He had come to meet his friend in the city. He lodged a complaint at Amroli police station on Tuesday.
Police booked some unidentified persons on a complaint by professor Rishikesh Vaidya (46), who is a resident of the BITS campus in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. Vaidya alleged in his complaint that his phone which had SIM card of Airtel became inactive for an hour on Monday. He later received a call from a person who introduced himself as an executive of Airtel and told him that the SIM card issued to him is 10 years old and requires reconfiguring. The caller told Vaidya that he will receive a 20-digit code number which the complainant was supposed to send through SMS on the customer care number 121. The caller informed him that after this process, his phone will still remain inactive.
While the phone was inactive, Vaidya gave his friend’s number to the caller to contact him. The accused later contacted Vaidya on his friend’s number and while talking to him took last four digits of his debit card number of ICICI Bank and within one-and-half-hours withdrew Rs 2.56 lakh in four transactions.
“We are yet to investigate the case in detail as a few things still remain unclear. Detailed investigation can reveal more facts about the fraud,” said B C Thacker, assistant commissioner of police, D-Division.
All leading banks warn customers about SIM card cloning on their website. It remains a matter of investigation how the fraudsters can keep a mobile phone and SIM card inactive.
by Yagnesh Bharat Mehta via Surat News, Latest Surat News Headlines & Live Updates - Times of India