SP Cyber Crime felicitated two bank managers for their alertness and empathetic approach towards their senior citizen customers, which led to a significant reduction in cyber fraud amounts in two separate cases.
In one Digital Arrest case, when a South Goa–based victim, Sanjana (name changed), visited her Canara Bank branch at Chicalim to prematurely break her Fixed Deposit, the Branch Manager, Ms. Smita Vasant Rane, enquired about the reason. The victim stated that her sister urgently needed money. However, her behaviour raised suspicion in the mind of the Branch Manager.
The next day, when Sanjana again visited the bank to open her locker and sell her gold, Ms. Smita once again questioned the reason for such large transactions. While inside the bank, Sanjana started receiving repeated phone calls and began trembling. On being questioned, she revealed that he had asked her to send money immediately. Ms. Smita then firmly asked her to disclose the details and show the number from which she was receiving the calls. It was found that the calls were from cyber fraudsters impersonating officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Mumbai Crime Branch, falsely claiming that Sanjana’s SIM card was involved in illegal activities and that she was under digital arrest for the past few days.
After counselling by the Branch Manager, the victim realised that she was being defrauded and immediately reported the matter to the 1930 Cyber Helpline.
Similarly, in another case, Mr. Vinu Thomas, Branch Manager, HDFC Bank, Old Goa, became alert when his customer Ramesh (name changed) attempted to make large RTGS transfers. The victim was a target of an investment fraud and appeared calm, making it difficult to detect distress. When asked, Ramesh stated that he was purchasing a property.
However, on examining the bank statement, Mr. Vinu noticed credits from Muthoot Finance, indicating that the victim had also sold gold. This raised further suspicion. Mr. Vinu contacted Ramesh later in the evening and educated him about cyber frauds. After reflecting overnight, Ramesh consulted Mr. Vinu again the next morning and confirmed that he had indeed fallen victim to an investment scam. The timely intervention prevented further financial loss.
Today, Rahul Gupta, IPS, SP Cyber Crime, felicitated both the bank managers for their vigilance and proactive approach. SP Cyber Crime appealed to the public and bank staff to remain alert to cyber frauds and to educate one another. Anyone who realises that they are a victim of cyber fraud may call 1930 or register a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Both cases are under investigation at the Cyber Crime Police Station.
Issued by
Rahul Gupta IPS
