Fraudster Dupes Agra Vendor Of Rs 82,000 On Pretext Of Paytm KYC Update, Caught WIthin 24 Hours

The emergence of digital wallets or an e-wallet has made transactions easier. It is a more convenient and secure form of payment when compared to physical transactions. However, these secure payment gateways are not so secure nowadays. Fraudsters have found novel ways to cheat digital wallet customers of their money. A new indecent has now come to light from Agra, where a scammer targeted a vendor and withdrew Rs 82,500 on the pretext of a KYC update.

The accused has now been arrested and the money has been recovered. This cyber fraud is special in many ways as this case enlists itself as one of those cyber frauds in which the accused have been arrested within 24 hours of the scam.

Inspector Shamshabad Veeresh Pal Giri said that a young man named Santosh runs a Namkeen Stall at the Gandhi intersection on Dhamena Road. The vendor narrated the incident and said that the accused Lalit posed as a Paytm employee and asked him to update the KYC account. The fraudster asked Santosh to tell him the OTP required for the KYC update. It was followed by the thumbprint of his wife to complete the process. The account in the bank was under his wife’s name.

Santosh was shocked to know that a withdrawal of Rs 82,500 was made from his account in one go. This was the first time that such a huge amount was transferred online from his account, said Santosh. He immediately took the help of the police and filed a complaint. The cop took the information and tried to find the accused through CCTV footage of the area.

Shamshabad Inspector Veeresh Pal Giri said that initially, this case seemed blind, and investigation in such a case is difficult. However, the Lalit was spotted on the bike after the CCTV footage was scrutinised. He reportedly reached the place with a vehicle. After tracing the number and owner of the vehicle, the fraudster was caught within 24 hours. Lalit confessed to his crime and returned all the money to the vendor.

It should be noted that no Paytm official asks for a UPI PIN or OTP for a KYC update. The users should also avoid clicking on random links or SMS.