A suspected SIM swap fraud has left a 27-year-old man in Bengaluru poorer by nearly Rs 7.2 lakh after cybercriminals allegedly ported his mobile number to another network without his knowledge, gained access to his banking credentials, and siphoned off money from multiple accounts.
Incident Details
According to a complaint filed by Kamlesh Kumar, a resident of BTM Layout II Stage and a native of Bihar, he had been using mobile number 8971923161 for the past 10 years. On May 25, he suddenly found his number was deactivated. When he visited an Airtel store the following day, he was reportedly informed the number had been ported to the Jio network. Kumar told police this was done without his authorization.
Investigation Findings
Enquiries at a Jio store reportedly revealed the SIM card ownership was transferred to a person identified as Shahbach Ansari, whom Kamlesh claimed he did not know and has no connection with. Kumar subsequently filed a lost report at the MICO Layout police station on May 27. However, the alleged fraud did not stop there.
Between May 27 and May 29, fraudsters allegedly gained access to his bank accounts and carried out a series of unauthorized transactions. According to the complaint, funds were transferred from his overdraft account to his savings and current accounts before being routed to unknown ones.
Victim's Statement
Kamlesh told TOI: “I had purchased the SIM card using my identity proof. I had linked the same mobile number to banking services. As I am working as a distributor in the city, I opened an overdraft account along with current and savings ones. The number was ported without my consent despite being used regularly. How can service providers be so negligent in allotting the number to someone else?”
He added, “When I visited the offices of both service providers, they only informed me the SIM was not registered in my name. They didn’t share more details such as from where it was ported, in which city the number is being used, or further information about Ansari.”
Financial Loss and Legal Action
Kumar alleged the fraudsters siphoned off Rs 7,17,660 from his accounts. They also changed the email ID linked to his accounts to sklove0143@gmail.com without his consent. A case was registered under Sections 66(C) (punishment for identity theft) and 66(D) (punishment for cheating by personation using a computer resource) of the Information Technology Act, and Sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the BNS at the southeast cybercrime police station.
Preventive Measures
This incident highlights the need for vigilance against SIM swap fraud. Users are advised to immediately report any deactivation of their mobile number to their service provider and bank. Additionally, enabling two-factor authentication and regularly monitoring bank statements can help prevent such frauds.
