Chandigarh, July 7: An 83-year-old woman from Chandigarh’s Sector 44-C was defrauded of ₹6.13 lakh after falling victim to a fake Know Your Customer (KYC) update scam, police said on Sunday. The fraud spanned multiple bank accounts and began with a phone call claiming to be from Punjab National Bank (PNB).
The victim, Vidyawati, received the call on June 13, during which the caller alleged her KYC documents needed updating to avoid account suspension. Posing as a bank official, the fraudster persuaded her to disclose personal details. The next day, another call followed, requesting the last four digits of her Aadhaar number. Vidyawati, who lives with her daughter, shared the information with her daughter’s help.
Soon after, the family noticed their mobile SIM was not functioning properly. On June 15, they visited a Jio Store in Sector 46, where they were informed that their biometrics had been blocked. They managed to resolve the issue at the Sampark Centre in Sector 45. However, by the time they returned to PNB on June 24 to follow up, ₹4.45 lakh had already been siphoned from their accounts.
Further inquiries revealed an additional ₹1.68 lakh had been withdrawn from accounts in Yes Bank, PNB, and Canara Bank, bringing the total loss to ₹6.13 lakh.
The family immediately filed complaints at the Cyber Police Station in Sector 17 on June 24 and 25. An FIR was registered under Sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 340(2), 336(3), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unknown persons.
“We have initiated an investigation and are tracing the origin of the fraudulent calls,” a police official confirmed on Sunday.
With digital banking frauds increasingly targeting the elderly, police have urged citizens to remain cautious and avoid sharing sensitive details over phone calls, especially those claiming to be from financial institutions.
