Entrepreneur of Bengaluru Issues Alert about SMS Scam, Shares the Way of Escaping the Scheme
- Posted on May 3, 2024
- News
- By Arijit Dutta
- 146 Views
A Bengaluru entrepreneur warned about a new financial scam involving deceiving SMSes and phone calls after she narrowly avoided falling prey to the elaborate trap.
A Bengaluru entrepreneur has expressed concern about a new financial scam that is gathering momentum after she luckily avoided it being prey recently. Aditi Chopra posted on Twitter to reveal the details of the scam which uses phone calls and deceiving text messages hooked to the back to confuse and defraud people into transferring money.
In the post, Chopra elucidated that she had got a call from a stranger who revealed that he needed to send money to her father but was having trouble with the bank. The guy then asked that the money should be sent to Chopra. The discussion deepened as she started receiving SMSes that displayed the credit of Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000 to her mobile number.
Then, the caller hastily mentioned that he dispatched Rs 30,000 instead of Rs 3,000 which he wanted to pay the doctor. He just gave his UPI IDs, directing Chopra to withdraw the extra amount immediately since he was at the doctor's clinic.
Chopra, nevertheless, still remained careful as the SMSes originated from an anonymous number, not from the official bank channel. She chose to do this by checking her actual bank statement independently. After she had called the number back just a few minutes later, it turned out she had been blocked.
"One could easily succumb but I know my father. He always over-explains and triple-checks the finances," Chopra wrote in her post, thereby underlining her doubt about the urgency. She had two important points to share. First, never believe in SMS for financial transactions and second, always cross-check the bank account on your own.
Chopra shared the scammer's mobile number and screenshots of the deceptive SMSes as a warning for others to stay vigilant against such fraud attempts. Her post quickly went viral as many appreciated her presence of mind and thanked her for raising awareness.
