Kolkata: Cybercriminals operating a sophisticated utility bill scam have duped a south Kolkata senior citizen of over Rs 1.7 lakh. The incident took place even after the victim’s 21-year-old daughter had warned her father, the complainant in this case, not to fall in such a trap.
The caller impersonated an official from Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) and claimed that the previous month’s electricity bill of Rs 560 had not been updated in their system. On Monday afternoon, when the man received a call from an unknown number.
To supposedly resolve the issue, the fraudster sent a malicious Android Package (APK) file via WhatsApp to the victim’s phone, instructing him to install the application and grant all requested permissions. The scammer then instructed the family to transfer funds into a linked bank account and repeat the download process on the daughter’s smartphone.
Following a complaint lodged through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the Cyber Crime wing of CID registered an official Zero FIR. CID subsequently transferred it to the local Survey Park Police Station for investigation. Cops have initiated a case under statutory provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating by impersonation, and digital fraud.