Blind man loses ₹6.4L to KYC update fraud

MUMBAI: The police on Sunday registered a case against unknown frauds after a 48-yearold man with vision impairment fell victim to the ‘KYC (Know Your Customer) update fraud’ and revealed his personal details, which made him lose ₹6,40 lakh.

The complainant, Sameer Sampat Chavan, 48, a resident of Worli, said that he physically submitted his documents to the Worli branch of Axis Bank and claimed that while his documents, were still lying in the branch, his details were updated in the core banking system, indicating that some unknown bank employee leaked his details.

Soon after submitting the documents, he received a call from an unknown person who asked him to click on a link he sent, and as he clicked on the link, he lost his money.

Chavan approached Bank in December 2023 for a KYC update of his wife Savita, said police sources. While his wife’s KYC was updated, he was asked to update his KYC. “As he did not have the necessary documents, the bank employees helped him download the app on his phone, asking him to update his KYC at home. However, he could not fill in the form on his phone and visited the branch on January 12. “The next day, on January 13, he got a call who told him he had called to update his KYC and asked him to visit the bank and submit his documents. On January 15, again, he got a call from the same person saying his KYC was updated,” said the officer.

On January 22, he got a call, saying that his KYC was updated, but to confirm his E-mail ID, he sent him a link. “After clicking the link, the complainant got a message that ₹4,82,000 is deducted from his account. On March 12, his credit card had a debit transaction of ₹1.98 lakh,” said the officer. The day he had visited the branch first, a new pin was generated by the fraud. The unknown accused has been booked under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 of the IPC and under sections 66 C and 66D of the IT Act.

An Axis Bank spokesperson said, “There is a complaint which has been received by the bank and the matter is under investigation. We will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities in resolving this case at the earliest.”