0 months ago
Facebook Banking Ad Leads to ₹10.9 Lakh Fraud in Gariahat
A 64-year-old man from Gariahat saw a Facebook advertisement offering banking help for older people.
He believed the advertisement was connected to a nationalised bank.
An unknown person then contacted him by phone and WhatsApp.
The person asked him to follow instructions and share his bank details.
Money was later taken from his account several times.
The total loss was ₹10.9 lakh.
The man reported the incident to the police, who registered a case.
Police are investigating the advertisement and the phone number used by the alleged fraudsters, but no one had been arrested by late Tuesday.
A 64-year-old Gariahat resident allegedly lost ₹10.9 lakh after responding to a Facebook advertisement offering banking assistance to senior citizens.
The victim, Partha Ganguly, said an unknown person contacted him and later persuaded him to share his bank account details on WhatsApp.
Fraudsters allegedly withdrew or deducted the money from Ganguly’s account in several transactions.
Gariahat police recently registered an FIR after Ganguly reported the alleged fraud.
Police are tracing the social media advertisement and phone number, but said expired links and delayed platform responses can hinder investigations; no arrests had been made by late Tuesday.
- Who
- Partha Ganguly, a 64-year-old retired private-sector executive and Gariahat resident, was allegedly defrauded by unknown persons.
- What
- He allegedly lost ₹10.9 lakh after responding to a fraudulent banking-services advertisement and sharing his bank details.
- Where
- The alleged fraud involved a Facebook advertisement and WhatsApp contacts; Ganguly reported it to Gariahat police station.
- When
- Ganguly saw the advertisement in July; an FIR was registered recently, and police reported no arrests by late Tuesday.
- Why
- The unknown callers allegedly used a bogus offer of special banking assistance for senior citizens to obtain his bank details.
Key facts
- Victim
- Partha Ganguly, 64, a retired executive of a private firm
- Location
- Gariahat, Kolkata
- Reported loss
- ₹10.9 lakh
- Initial contact
- A Facebook advertisement offering banking assistance to senior citizens
- Fraud method
- The alleged fraudsters contacted Ganguly by phone and WhatsApp and obtained his bank account details
- Police action
- Gariahat police registered an FIR and are tracing the advertisement and phone number
- Arrest status
- No arrests had been made by late Tuesday
Quotes
Officer of the cyber unit, Gariahat Police
Police officer specialized in cybercrime
“It takes time to trace the origin of an advertisement on social media, depending on how quickly the platform responds to our requests. We seek information about every such piece of content that generates complaints, but it usually takes time to get the details.”
telegraphindia.com
“Social media platforms do not necessarily filter content on the basis of whether links are fraudulent. The biggest problem in tracking these spurious links is that they often expire by the time the fraud is detected.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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