A resident of Chandigarh's Sector 52 has been defrauded of a substantial sum of ₹1.73 lakh in a sophisticated cybercrime operation. The scam involved fraudsters posing as bank officials and using deceptive WhatsApp links to gain unauthorized access to his State Bank of India (SBI) credit card.
The Deceptive Call and False Promises
The victim, Pankaj Kumar, who works as a store manager at a jewellery shop in Manimajra, received a phone call on October 28. A woman identifying herself as Simran Sharma claimed to be calling from the American Express card department. She informed Kumar that his existing SBI credit card could be upgraded to an American Express card.
The fraudster offered enticing benefits: a credit limit increase to ₹4.5 lakh and additional reward points. She assured Kumar that the new card would be provided free of cost, requiring only a nominal deposit of ₹170. Convinced by the proposal, Kumar agreed to proceed.
The Trap: Malicious WhatsApp Links
Following his agreement, Kumar received a link on his mobile phone via WhatsApp. Upon clicking the link, the promised deposit of ₹170 was deducted from his SBI credit card. The situation escalated on November 4, 2025, when the same woman contacted him again.
This time, she stated that a pending payment needed to be cleared to finalize the credit limit enhancement. She sent another WhatsApp link. The moment Kumar opened this second link, his phone was compromised. Shortly after, he received two transaction alerts showing massive deductions of ₹1.53 lakh and nearly ₹20,000 from his card.
Police Action and Investigation
Pankaj Kumar promptly filed a formal complaint with the Chandigarh Police, detailing the entire sequence of events and his total loss of ₹1.73 lakh. Based on his complaint, the Cyber Crime Police Station registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Friday.
In an official statement released on Saturday, Chandigarh Police confirmed that an investigation into the matter is currently underway. They are working to trace the origins of the fraudulent calls and the digital trail of the financial transactions.
This incident serves as a critical warning against sharing personal information or clicking on unverified links received via phone calls or messaging platforms. Banks do not solicit card upgrades or sensitive details through such unsolicited calls and WhatsApp messages.
