02 November,2011 06:47 AM IST | | Shashank Shekhar
Noida-based victim says he has been duped of Rs 75,600; all the transactions were made online
It was by no means a happy Diwali for Noida-based Ajay Agarwal. The property dealer was recently duped to the tune of Rs 75,600. Miscreants cloned his credit card and used it to shop online for Diwali gifts.
Representative pic
According to the victim the card is still with him and the last time he used it was at a petrol pump. The money was so smartly withdrawn from the account that no one could smell any foul play. "I hardly use my card but as I was out of cash so I used it at Delhi-Chandigarh highway petrol pump.
When I checked my account I was shocked to see my balance. There was Rs 82,000 in my account initially; now only Rs 6,400 is left. According to the bank statement, from October 22 to November 1, the crook made 76 transactions from my account and the maximum amount which was withdrawn at a time was Rs 3,200," said Ajay.
All over the place
The purchases were made from Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. The card was used online to buy chocolates, perfumes, watches and a leather purse. Ajay has given a written complaint to his bank and a copy of the same has been forwarded to the police.
Bank officials told Ajay that this is a case of financial fraud and it will be investigated. Each transaction will be scanned by the institution's cyber crime investing team before the victim gets his money back. Ajay says he hasn't received a positive response from the cops.
According to cyber crime experts, there has been a manifold rise in credit card frauds and this is a clear case of card cloning. "It is always advisable to cross-check if your card has been swiped properly. There are many instances where the card was swiped in a cloning machine and has been misused. Cyber criminals eye easy targets and make most transactions online so that they are not easily traced," said Vivek Vohra, a Delhi-based cyber crime expert.
