Cyber criminals steal Rs 3 lakh from cop’s account

Mumbai, Aug 24 (PTI) A police inspector posted at Maharashtra Governor’s official residence ‘Raj Bhavan’ in south Mumbai lost Rs 3 lakh after cyber criminals targeted him through phishing, an official said on Sunday.

Phishing is a type of cyberattack on individuals through email, text messages, phone calls, and malicious links by tricking them into sharing personal and financial details.

The incident took place between Monday and Saturday, said the 49-year-old cop, who lives at Tardeo police colony, in his complaint.

According to the official, the inspector had received a WhatsApp message in a group about RTO challans. He tapped on the link and shared his name and mobile number.

The policeman deleted the link sometime later, but someone who had unauthorisedly accessed his details misused the data to withdraw Rs 3 lakh from his bank account after three days, the official said.

When he received a message about the withdrawal of the money, the cop alerted the cyber helpline 1930.

He then filed a complaint with the Tardeo police station, following which a case was registered, the official said, adding that a probe is underway. PTI DC NR