Bengaluru Gynaecologist loses Rs 95000 to fraudster posing as army official

The fraudster posing as an army officer, duped the doctor into sharing her digital payment app's QR code, subsequently draining her account of funds. The incident unfolded on January 9th when the doctor was virtually attending her patients at her Guru Sparsha Clinic in T Dasarahalli.

A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and IPC 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and are currently investigating the matter.

The fraudulent scheme started with a deceptive phone call from an unknown number. The caller, identifying himself as "Sathies Kumar" from the Indian Army claimed that approximately 25 female army personnel would be seeking medical check-ups at her clinic. Exploiting the doctor's goodwill, he urged her to conduct the tests and promptly send him the reports. Trusting the apparent army officer and acting in good faith, the doctor unknowingly shared her digital payment app's QR code as the perpetrator wanted to pay in advance which led to an unlawful siphoning of Rs 95,000 from her account, reports the420.com.

Following a series of deceptive instructions, the doctor entered Rs 47,500 in her UPI payment slot, only to witness the money vanish from her account in an instant. Attributing the sudden deduction to a purported "technical glitch," Kumar craftily persuaded Dr. Jyothi to repeat the process.

After repeating the same process, the amount was again deducted from the account. It was at this point that the doctor, undeterred by the repeated deductions, discerned the ruse and realized she had fallen victim to an elaborate online scam, reports the Daily. 

With a quick and alert response, the doctor promptly disconnected the call and reported the incident to the Bagalagunte police before further exploitation could occur. The police have registered a case under the Information Technology Act and IPC 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and the perpetrator is yet to be nabbed. This incident underscores the need for heightened awareness and caution among individuals to thwart such cyber threats.