Hyderabad: A 75-year-old resident of Secunderabad fell victim to a phishing scam where a fraudster impersonated a PSU oil company and offered reward points, losing Rs 1.28 lakh in the process.Police, quoting from the senior citizen’s complaint, said the victim received a text message from an unknown number claiming his reward points with the oil company were about to expire. The message included a link directing him to a website, which turned out to be an impersonation, offering an voucher worth Rs 10,000 for a fee of Rs.399.The victim assumed that the message was genuine and proceeded with the link. During the process, he received an OTP purportedly from his credit card service. The message did not mention any transaction amount and the victim believed it was for the Rs 399 payment. He shared the OTP with the caller and was notified that his credit card was deducted Rs 1,28,969. Realising he was defrauded, the victim approached the Cybercrime police station and lodged a complaint. Officials registered the complaint and lodged a probe. Public Advisory: Police advised citizens to never click on suspicious links or share the OTP. Always verify offers and communications through official channels. Victims of cybercrime can dial 1930, visit cybercrime.gov.in, or contact 8712665171 for help.
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