SBI staff prevent senior citizen from losing ₹46 lakh in digital arrest scam 

Alert staff at the State Bank of India Chandrayangutta branch helped a senior citizen from falling victim to a digital arrest scam.

The customer, a retired employee of a PSU, accompanied by his wife visited the branch on Friday and presented a cheque requesting for transfer of ₹46 lakh, by way of RTGS, to an account held with ICICI Bank in Aurangabad. A senior associate at the SBI branch, B. Praveen, who was at the counter, sensed something was amiss and alerted the branch head and AGM - Shiva Kumar.

On enquiring, the couple recounted their harrowing experience to the branch head. Video callers claiming to be from the CBI contacted them and said KYC details of the senior citizen have been used to open an account, with another public sector bank, and a ₹100 crore fraud was committed. One person has already been arrested in connection with the case.

The scamsters asked the senior citizen to transfer ₹46 lakh, which they said will be returned post investigation. Failure to do so will result in his and his son’s arrest, they told him.

Warning him against contacting anyone, they said their men were keeping a watch outside their house. For three days, the customer and his wife were held hostage under video call by the cyber criminals, SBI Hyderabad Circle said in a release on Saturday.

The SBI branch manager alerted the children of the senior citizen and lodged a complaint with the cyber crime helpline 1930. With the active intervention of the branch manager, the cyber fraud attempt was foiled and the couple were spared of the trauma and financial loss, the SBI said.

This was the third such reported instance this month of SBI staffers in Telangana helping customers from becoming victims of digital arrest scam menace.

Published - November 24, 2024 12:28 am IST