Scamsters target credit card holders

BENGALURU: Have you recently applied for a credit card or decided to cancel the one you already have? If you have any such planning, be careful. Scamsters are targeting credit card holders and those looking to cancel their cards, tricking them into revealing their OTP to steal money.

A woman lost Rs 40,000 and attempted to commit suicide. Another victim had lost Rs 118,000 due to such scams. The victims faced harassment from banks demanding loan repayment, and despite reporting the incidents, no action has been taken by the cyber police or banks.

This has led to frustration among the affected individuals, highlighting the need for banks to be more vigilant and take action to protect their customers from cybercrime.

Pushpa said that the government should take action against cyber criminals. She has lost all the money before getting a new credit card. “Now my family is asking about the money. Credit card is a big mafia, and the authorities concerned should take stringent action. I came to understand that many people have lost money due to credit cards”, she said.

Asha, who attempted suicide after losing money through a credit card, said, “I got a call from a bank offering a credit card. When I received the new card, I could not open it. If we do not need the card, we cancel it. Then a bank staffer said the card will be sent through the post. One day, I got a call asking for the OTP for cancelling the card, and I repeated it three times. I thought it was the bank’s contact number. After three months, a bank staffer contacted me saying that I had taken Rs 44,000. Then, we lodged a complaint. Now the amount increased to Rs 48,000. The bank is harassing me to pay the amount. I do not know how this happened, and I don’t even know what to do”.

Zakir Hussain, another victim, said, “I applied online for a credit card and received the card in eight days. Then again, I received a call for confirmation of the address. After two months, I got another call saying that I used the credit card despite not using it. When I went to the bank to verify, I realised that Rs 1,28,000 had been withdrawn on the credit card. The bank suggested approaching cyber crime police. When I came to cyber crime police, they promised to find some solution. I do not need to pay, but the bank officials keep calling to settle the amount”.