Pune Army colonel’s credit card charged for Rs 3.8 lakh to Hong Kong hotel in fake traffic challan fraud

 

An Indian Army colonel in Pune has fallen victim to a cyber fraud involving a fake traffic challan after clicking on a link that falsely claimed there were pending dues in his name. The incident resulted in an unauthorised payment of over 32,000 Hong Kong dollars—Rs 3.81 lakh—from his credit card to a hotel in Hong Kong.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Chatushrungi police station on Wednesday, the colonel, who is in his late 40s and posted with a defence establishment in Pune, received a message late on Monday night and opened it on Tuesday morning.

When he opened the link in the message, it redirected him to a message stating that a Rs 590 payment for a traffic violation challan for his vehicle was pending. The colonel proceeded to furnish financial details on an online form. He then clicked the option to generate a one-time password (OTP). Moments later, 32,939 Hong Kong Dollars were deducted from his credit card as a payment to a hotel in Hong Kong. He immediately approached the police, and the FIR was registered.

Investigators have said that fake traffic challan frauds use the same modus operandi as scams involving fake gas bills or fraudulent power bill scams. They have appealed to people to exercise caution while making online payments