Kolkata: Three women in Birbhum district were allegedly duped by an unknown fraudster on the pretext of LPG cylinder booking.
According to sources, amid the crisis of LPG cylinders, each of the three women received a call where the caller claimed to be calling from the gas dealer’s office. During the call, the caller reportedly asked the women if they were facing any difficulty in getting the LPG cylinders. Following this, the accused asked for bank details, which the women provided in good faith. After a while, each of the three women received an OTP. On being asked, the trio shared the OTP with the caller. Immediately after sharing the OTP, money got deducted from their bank accounts and the caller went unreachable.
Later, each of the women lodged a complaint with the police and a probe was initiated. Police informed that apart from OTP, the cyber criminals are also using the method of sending malicious links to several people through SMS on various pretexts.
If any person clicks on the link, an application gets downloaded which accesses the data stored and takes over the control of the mobile phone. Later, they siphon off money.
Police have advised people not to panic in case any such SMS or call comes. People must cross-check by calling their local LPG dealer to find out whether they need any such information or not. It has also been advised not to click on any link without verification.
In case people get confused and have doubts, they must avoid sharing any details or clicking any link that is sent on the pretext of getting LPG cylinders or lucrative offers.