BALURGHAT: A farmer from Chandrapur under Balurghat Block lost Rs 30,000 to fraudsters after being tricked over the phone in the name of receiving gas subsidy. The victim, identified as Surajit Mahato, claimed that an unknown caller contacted him on Friday night, informing him that in order to avail the subsidy, he had to provide the One-Time Password (OTP) sent to his phone.
Trusting the caller, Surajit shared the OTP, following which a sum of Rs 30,000 was siphoned off from his bank account within minutes.
Speaking about his ordeal, Surajit said: “The caller told me that I would not get the subsidy unless I shared the OTP. Believing it to be genuine, I shared the number. Soon after, I discovered that Rs 30,000 had been withdrawn from my account. I have lodged a complaint with the police.”
Confirming the incident, an official of Balurghat Cyber Crime Police Station stated: “The fraudsters are using various tactics to trap innocent people by luring them with subsidies and schemes.
We urge people never to share their OTP or bank details with unknown callers. A case has been registered and an investigation has been initiated to trace the culprits.”